As we have mentioned, quality seals and clean labels require specific conditions to be met whereby companies need to consider their individual trade-off between the potential positive effects on consumer perceptions and the resources needed to fulfil their requirements. From a company’s perspective, meeting these requirements potentially leads to higher costs, for instance. Thus, as not all companies utilize quality seals on their packaging, we would like to answer the question of how relevant quality seals and labels are in comparison to other design elements in terms of sustainability or naturalness. How effective are quality seals compared to alternatives?
Sustainable consumption series part 2: Do all quality seals achieve the same effect? – Implications for companies
In our first post of the sustainable consumption blog series, we concluded that quality seals communicate sustainability, but consumers have limited knowledge of their meaning and an overly positive image of them. To draw more specific implications, we attempt to answer the question which quality seals and labels consumers accept the most when buying products. Do all quality seals serve the same positive effect? Finding answers to this question is especially relevant for companies as various quality seals require different levels of conditions to be met.