Drivers and barriers for purchasing green Fast-Moving Consumer Goods: A study of consumer preferences of glue sticks in Germany

Set against the backdrop of growing consumer interest in green products, this study aimed to investigate the drivers and barriers for purchasing green Fast-Moving Consumer Goods in Germany, with a special focus on bio-based glue sticks with more environmentally-friendly packaging. An online survey, including a choice experiment, was conducted with 1390 buyers of adhesives in 2017. A Hierarchical Bayes estimation including the estimation of the influence of covariates showed that Green Consumer Values, Perceived Consumer Effectiveness and Trust act as drivers, whereas Habits, Cost Perception and Perceived Risk can act as barriers to the purchase of green Fast-Moving Consumer Goods. Additionally, prices of bio-based Fast-Moving Consumer Goods were of specific relevance, allowing producers moderate price increases if green product expectations of consumers were met. These results can be used to define marketing strategies for green Fast-Moving Consumer Goods in Germany and to support policy in shaping a strategy for reducing plastic waste.