京都大学 大学院経済学研究科・経済学部

　タイトル：

“Ecolabel Credibility and Sustainable Purchasing”

  Abstract：

Ecolabels are designed to help consumers identify environmentally superior products and services, however, they are not all created equal. Some ecolabels have strong rules that promote environmental improvements, while others have weaker rules that permit free-riding. Since information about ecolabel design and rule strength is typically not readily available at the point of purchase, consumers struggle to differentiate stronger ecolabels from weaker ones. This research presents the results of two papers. The first considers how consumers’ trust of ecolabel sponsors may be associated with their purchase of ecolabeled products and how third-party certification might relate to consumers purchasing decisions when trust varies. It assesses how third-party certification relates to consumers’ use of ecolabels across different program sponsors. The second paper investigates whether ecolabel sponsorship is a signal that can help consumers distinguish among ecolabels according to the quality of their institutional design. Using data for 189 prominent ecolabels, we find that the strength of these rules varies across labels according to sponsoring organization. Taken as a whole, the findings of both papers suggest that consumers discriminate appropriately among ecolabels and that consumers have reason to be cautious about the merits of some ecolabels over others.