Beyond plastic: analyzing consumer choices for sustainable food packaging and the influence of environmental concern and green skepticism

Purpose Plastic pollution has become a pressing environmental issue, leading to growing interest in plastic alternatives for food packaging. Understanding consumer preferences for these alternatives and related psychological dispositions is important for promoting sustainable consumption and guiding industry innovation. This study examines consumer preferences for plastic alternative food packaging in the context of fresh potted kitchen herbs in Germany, with a particular focus on the roles of green skepticism and environmental concern. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on a discrete choice-based conjoint experiment conducted with 250 participants in Germany. Data were analyzed using multinomial logit models, latent class analysis and variance analyses. Findings The results suggest that consumers generally prefer packaging materials such as paper, home compostable options and no-pack alternatives over traditional plastic, bio-based plastic and cellulose film. However, preferences are not consistent across consumers. Three distinct consumer segments were identified, which differ in regards to socio-demographic factors as well as in their preferences for packaging attributes, price sensitivity and levels of environmental concern and green skepticism. Originality/value This study contributes to the understanding of consumer behavior in the transition toward environment-friendly food packaging by examining how environmental concern and green skepticism are associated with heterogeneous preferences for plastic alternative packaging materials.