Consumer research on bioplastics: a systematic review

Abstract

Bioplastics have gained increasing importance in academia and industry. However, a key to market success is consumer acceptance and use of such bioplastics. In the present review we analyze 34 papers with a focus on B2C consumer research following the PRISMA protocol. We evaluated the papers quantitatively by using a category system and carried out a qualitative content analysis. Attitudes and values were the most-researched consumer-related factors with the clearest effect on consumer behavior while socio-demographics showed no or little effect. Product-related factors were mostly related to material and its geographic origin, price and certification. The recommendations from the literature were: educate consumers, raise their awareness and use labels. The role of policy makers is mainly seen in standard-setting. We call for studies that take a cross-national and cross-product perspective, cover products beyond packaging, include China, India and other developing countries, use qualitative designs and make attempts at theory-building.