massrecycle 2017 disposal biases
TRANSCRIPT
Consumer Disposal Decisions
Remi TrudelMASSRECYCLE 2017
Sustainability Decisions
Disposal Consumption
Consumer Characteristics
Promotions & Firm
Interventions
Product Features
Consumer Goals &
Motivation
What about the products themselves?
Are there product attributes that influence disposal decisions?
• Products vary in terms of the tangible attributes that they possess. • Attributes are important in the categorization process (Barsalou 1985; Loken and Ward 1990; Rosch and Mervis 1975)
• Attributes • Determine consumption choices (Alpert 1971; Nowlis and Simonson 1996; Ratchford 1975)
Sustainability Decisions
Disposal decisions Consumption
decisions
Product Features
Tangible product attributes
Products are “distorted” during consumption• Degree of distortion = amount of physical dissimilarity
Tangible product attributes
Products are “distorted” during consumption• Degree of distortion = amount of physical dissimilarity
Tangible product attributes
Products are “distorted” during consumption• Degree of distortion = amount of physical dissimilarity
Tangible product attributes
Products are “distorted” during consumption• Degree of distortion = amount of physical dissimilarity
Distorted paper22 Faculty assistant officesEach office had recycling and trash bins• Bins are emptied daily
Product: Coded paper relative to a standard sized sheet of paper (8 ½ x 11) • Less than half sheet• Greater than or equal to half sheet
DV: Disposal
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Disposal behavior as a function of paper size
Paper Size Recycled Trashed Ratio
Greater than ½
Mean (SD)
Minimum
Maximum
5.27(4.88)
0
17
1.27 (1.75)
0
7
.52 (.64)
-1.0
1.0
Less than ½
Mean (SD)
Minimum
Maximum
1.18(2.52)
0
8
1.95 (2.28)
0
8
-.58 (.66)
-1.0
.78
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Disposal behavior as a function of paper size
Paper Size Recycled Trashed Ratio
Greater than ½
Mean (SD)
Minimum
Maximum
5.27(4.88)
0
17
1.27 (1.75)
0
7
.52 (.64)
-1.0
1.0
Less than ½
Mean (SD)
Minimum
Maximum
1.18(2.52)
0
8
1.95 (2.28)
0
8
-.58 (.66)
-1.0
.78
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Disposal behavior as a function of paper size
Paper Size Recycled Trashed Ratio
Greater than ½
Mean (SD)
Minimum
Maximum
5.27(4.88)
0
17
1.27 (1.75)
0
7
.52 (.64)
-1.0
1.0
Less than ½
Mean (SD)
Minimum
Maximum
1.18(2.52)
0
8
1.95 (2.28)
0
8
-.58 (.66)
-1.0
.78
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Distorted cans
130 undergraduate students
Design: 2(can size: regular vs. small) x 2(distortion: dented vs. maintained)
Product: Coke canDV: Disposal
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Study 5A
Participants wrote about an empty 12 fl oz can• First 5 things that come to mind • 150-250 word creative writing task
Percentage of cans recycled as a function of size and product distortion
Small Can Regular Can0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
70%
80%
90%
47%
83%
23%16%
Not Distorted Distorted(dented)
SIZE
Perc
ent R
ecyc
led
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Are there other products attributes that bias disposal decisions?
Social Identity Theory (Tajfel and Turner 1979, 1986)
• Personal-Identity • collection of beliefs, traits, and characteristics that belong
to/identify the individual• Related to one’s sense of self
• Group Identity • that which is shared among members of a larger
collective.
Individual Identity
164 undergraduate participants
Design: Three between subjects conditions:1. Individual identity – linked2. Individual Identity – Not linked3. Control
Product: Paper cup (3 fl oz.)DV: Disposal
Trudel, Remi and Jennifer Argo (2013), “The Effect of Product Size and Form Distortion on Consumer Recycling Behavior,” Journal of Consumer Research, 40(4), 632-643.
Spelled Correctly Spelled Incorrectly Control0%
10%
20%
30%
40%
50%
60%
48%
24% 26%
Perc
ent R
ecyc
led
Disposal behavior as a function of identity link
Trudel, Remi, Jennifer Argo, and Matthew Meng (2016), “The Recycled Self: Consumers’ Disposal Decision of Identity–Linked Products,” Journal of Consumer Research, 43(2), 246-264.
Incidental Mood and Disposal
Daily campus-wide recycling amounts (in tons) from 2012-2016 were collected from 4 American universities
DesignWe matched campus-wide recycling amounts to game results from the same period resulting in 529 collection day observations immediately following basketball games.
DV: Recycling amounts in tons
Recycling as a function of team wins
β = 1,101.14, SE = 524.06, t = 2.10, p = .036Controlling for:WeatherRecord/season winning percentageRivalry gamesHoldiays
Incidental Mood and DisposalData: Daily waste and recycling collection amounts from the Kensington and Chelsea, West Central London • 14 Boroughs• April 1st 2015 - March 31 2016 • Collections 2x/week – Monday/Thursday or Tuesday/Friday• 2,842 collection day observations over 203 collection days
Mood Proxy: Weather – daily precipitation and cloud coverage
DV: Recycle weight
Variable β tPrecipitation -.003 -3.005*
Cloud coverage -.002 -.36
Average Waste Collected .223 37.005**
Holiday -.094 -10.783**
Pickup Schedule (Mon/Thurs) .074 10.458**
Parameter estimates for recycling behavior
* p < .01, **p< .001
Could the redesign of a product change littering behavior?
Weston BaxterImperial College of London
Redesign of a Cigarette
40 smokers outside Imperial College of London courtyard
Single factorial: regular vs. redesigned product
Product: CigaretteDV: disposal behavior – litter vs. proper disposal
Results
Regular Redesigned0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16
18
20
Litter Proper Disposal
Product Condition
Cou
nt
Thank You
Remi TrudelAssistant Professor of Marketing
School of Management, Boston University595 Commonwealth Avenue, Boston MA 02215