Understanding consumer attitudes to environmental sustainability issues in agricultural and food production

Abstract

With current concerns about the environment, especially climate change, there is an increasing expectation from consumers that products have sustainability credentials and labels communicating these. This chapter assesses consumer attitudes, preferences and willingness-to-pay (WTP) for different environmental attributes in food products. This includes generic ("environmentally-friendly") and specific attributes, such as water protection, greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions reduction, biodiversity/wildlife protection, and waste management/reduction. While heterogeneous, international consumers exhibit positive preference and WTP for environmental attributes in food products. Some Asian market segments have indicated a willingness to pay significantly higher premiums for environmental attributes, including relative to European and North American markets. Premiums for environmental attributes vary between markets, with WTP ranges including the following: environmentally-friendly, 3-25%; water protection, 6-67%; GHG emissions reduction, 3-25%; biodiversity/wildlife protection, 4-56%; and waste management/reduction, 11-40%.