A conceptual model of US consumer willingness‐to‐pay for environmentally certified wood products

Global industrialization and the subsequent dwindling of many natural resources have become elements for product differentiation in marketing. Environmental certification programs are increasingly being recognized as significant market‐based tools for linking manufacturing and consumer purchases. This research examines the relationships between intrinsic environmental motivations and the willingness‐to‐pay a premium for environmentally certified wood products. A conceptual model is proposed that captures the effects of perceptions, awareness and price on consumer willingness to purchase and pay a premium for environmentally certified forest products. The data suggest that there are positive correlations between the willingness‐to‐pay and the independent variables in the model, environmental consciousness, certification involvement and perceived importance of certification. A cluster of US consumers was identified that has a proclivity to purchase certified wood products and may be a logical target market.

[1]  H. Leavitt.  A Note on Some Experimental Findings About the Meanings of Price , 1954 .

[2]  F. Webster.  Determining the Characteristics of the Socially Conscious Consumer , 1975 .

[3]  D. Dillman.  Mail and telephone surveys : the total design method , 1979 .

[4]  Charles etc. Lamb.  Principles of Marketing , 1982 .

[5]  Martha S. Wysor.  Comparing College Students' Environmental Perceptions and Attitudes , 1983 .

[6]  William B. Dodds,et al.  the Effect of Brand and Price Information on Subjective Product Evaluations , 1985 .

[7]  A. Rao,et al.  The Moderating Effect of Prior Knowledge on Cue Utilization in Product Evaluations , 1988 .

[8]  V. Zeithaml.  Consumer Perceptions of Price, Quality, and Value: A Means-End Model and Synthesis of Evidence: , 1988 .

[9]  Diane M. Samdahl,et al.  Social Determinants of Environmental Concern , 1989 .

[10]  P. Ellen,et al.  The Role of Perceived Consumer Effectiveness in Motivating Environmentally Conscious Behaviors , 1991 .

[11]  Charles H. Schwepker,et al.  An Examination of Ecologically Concerned Consumers and Their Intention to Purchase Ecologically Packaged Products , 1991 .

[12]  William B. Dodds,et al.  Effects of Price, Brand, and Store Information on Buyers’ Product Evaluations: , 1991 .

[13]  The New Environmentalism , 1992 .

[14]  M. Bergen,et al.  Price Premium Variations as a Consequence of Buyers' Lack of Information , 1992 .

[15]  Ida E. Berger,et al.  Understanding the Link Between Environmental Attitudes and Consumer Product Usage: Measuring the Moderating Role of Attitude Strength , 1993 .

[16]  Melody E. Schuhwerk,et al.  Green or Non-Green? Does Type of Appeal Matter When Advertising a Green Product? , 1995 .

[17]  Lucie K. Ozanne,et al.  Segmenting the market for environmentally certified wood products , 1998 .