A new Lamm Lab study has found that consumers feel more pride when buying plants in plastic-alternative pots compared to traditional plastic ones, emphasizing how emotions influence sustainable buying choices. Titled “From Guilt to Pride: Exploring Emotional Drivers of Consumer Preferences for Sustainable Plant Containers”, the research was recently published in Sustainability. You can find the full article here.
Michael Batame led the study in the Lamm Lab. His co-authors are part of a collaborative project aimed at reducing plastic use in the U.S. horticulture industry, funded by USDA ARS Cooperative Agreement (#58-5082-3-021). They are Alexa Lamm, Kevan Lamm, James Owen, Jr., James Altland, and Sarah A. White.
Transitioning from Plastic to Plastic-Alternative Pots
In the United States, plastic pots have been mainly used in greenhouses and nurseries for the past 50 years because they are considered durable, flexible, and cost-effective. Concerns about the environmental impacts of plastic pots have led environmentally conscious consumers to shift to sustainable plastic alternatives. Consumers who are environmentally conscious tend to participate more in activities that protect the environment, which makes them feel proud, and less in those that cause harm, which may make them feel guilty. Within the horticultural industry, emotional reactions, particularly pride and guilt, can influence consumers’ purchasing decisions about whether to buy plants grown in plastic pots or plastic-alternative pots. However, applications of the environmental values perspective that link environmental self-identity to feelings of guilt and pride in plant-pot purchase decisions remain understudied, limiting the development of effective sustainability communication strategies to reduce plastic use in nursery and greenhouse settings.
Research Approach and Key Finding
The study aimed to analyze how consumers’ emotional responses to buying plants in plastic pots versus plastic-alternative pots are shaped by their environmental self-identity, self-awareness, and demographic traits. The researchers explored whether these factors correlate with feelings of pride and guilt, and if emotional reactions vary between the two purchase options. They employed a quantitative survey approach, gathering responses from 1,235 U.S. residents. The researchers found that:
- Consumers felt more positive emotions when buying plants in plastic-alternative pots than in traditional plastic ones.
- Environmental self-identity consistently predicted emotional responses. Consumers who saw themselves as environmentally conscious felt more guilt when buying plants in plastic pots and more pride when selecting plants in plastic-alternative pots.
- Older consumers generally exhibited stronger emotional responses to pot choices, reporting more negative emotions toward plastic pots and more positive emotions toward plastic-alternative pots when compared to younger consumers.
- There were sex-based differences in emotional responses, with males generally exhibiting more negative reactions to plastic pots and more positive reactions to alternative plastic pots than females.
- Politically conservative consumers reported more positive emotions towards plastic pots and less positive emotions towards plastic-alternative pots than politically moderate consumers.
- Higher levels of self-awareness were associated with stronger positive emotional responses toward plastic-alternative pots.
What This Means
The findings suggest that consumer choices for sustainable plant pots are influenced not only by product features and price but also by environmental values. Consumers who identify as environmentally conscious tend to feel more pride when choosing plastic-alternative pots, indicating that environmental self-identity significantly impacts emotional responses and purchasing preferences. The findings also suggest that positive emotions may play an important role in encouraging sustainable consumption.
Since consumers showed more pride than guilt in selecting alternative pots over plastic ones, highlighting the personal and environmental benefits of these products may be more effective than general communication. As greenhouse and nursery industries seek to reduce reliance on single-use plastics, understanding the emotional and value-driven factors behind consumer decisions can help communicate their sustainability efforts more convincingly. Linking sustainable products to consumers’ environmental values could encourage wider adoption of plastic alternatives and support broader environmental objectives.
