Socio-Cognitive Dynamics in Sustainable Water Product Markets: A Constructivist Grounded Theory Study of Korea’s Bottled and Purified Water Industries

This study employs a constructivist grounded theory approach based on 69 in-depth interviews conducted between March 2022 and December 2023 to examine socio-cognitive dynamics in Korea’s bottled water and household water purifier markets. The study addresses a gap in prior research by explaining how product meanings and stakeholder strategies co-evolve across adjacent “safe-water” markets under regulatory and sustainability pressures. Drawing on qualitative data from 69 stakeholders, including producers (n = 30), consumers (n = 19), and institutional experts (n = 20), we analyze how distrust, risk perception, and health consciousness reshape conceptual systems and market strategies. These shifts drive innovation across markets, including new technologies, service models, and branding strategies. The findings show that socio-cognitive stabilization arises through iterative interactions among institutional shocks, producer reinterpretation, and consumer adaptation. In the bottled water market, the meanings of “natural purity” became materially embedded in packaging, mineral labeling, and brand narratives. In the purifier sector, “technological reliability” was institutionalized through service-based maintenance systems and visible quality control technologies. These processes developed within asymmetric communicative environments shaped by corporate branding capacity and media amplification. This study refines socio-cognitive market theory by specifying boundary conditions under institutional distrust in developed economies. Although Republic of Korea possesses advanced drinking water infrastructure comparable to that of other developed economies, public confidence in tap water has periodically weakened following highly salient contamination incidents and regulatory transitions. This paradox provides a theoretically informative context for examining how product meanings and stakeholder behaviors mutually adapt over time. Although environmental impact metrics were not directly measured, the findings suggest that sustainability policies must address socio-cognitive trust dynamics alongside regulatory instruments such as plastic levies, certification schemes, and transparent risk communication.