Consumer transition to a green economy: The role of third-party certified eco-labels

University of León, Department of Management and Business Economics, Campus de Vegazana s/n, 24071 León, Spain

^* Corresponding author: ana.lanero@unileon.es

Abstract

In order to reduce the asymmetry of knowledge between producers and consumers, many organizations promote the use of eco-labels certified by independent third parties, with the purpose of identifying those products or services that have minor impact on the environment throughout their entire life cycle. However, since there are currently a high number of ethical labels and claims and consumers are usually confused about their real meaning. This research is intended to analyze whether consumers attribute organic properties to products identified by third-party certified eco-labels to the same extent that to other third-party certified sustainability labels and other non-certified organic claims. A survey study was carried out with a sample of 200 university business students and ANOVA analysis was used to verify differences in the meaning attributed to different labels. In general terms, the results of the study allow to conclude that consumers do not have a precise knowledge about the meaning of different sustainability dimensions certified by official seals, nor do they know how to differentiate them from non-certified advertising claims. One of the main practical implications of this work has to do with the critical analysis of the effectiveness of Community regulations on eco-labelling and green advertising claims.