ifkad articles

Products from Industrial Symbiosis: a Survey of Consumer Perceptions and Purchase Intention

Gaia Ceccarelli, Rosa Maria Dangelico, Luca Fraccascia

This paper is aimed at analyzing the consumers’ perception toward products from Industrial Symbiosis (IS) processes (hereafter mentioned as “IS products”), as well as their purchase intention and willingness to pay a premium price for them. IS is one of the key strategies supporting the transition towards the circular economy: accordingly, wastes produced by a company can be used as production inputs by other companies or be exploited to produce new products. Specifically, this paper investigates the consumers’ perception of two IS products: (1) electronic products, whose shell is made by industrial plastic wastes, and (2) electronic products, whose battery contains substances extracted by wood wastes. A survey was conducted on 1.224 Italian consumers, aimed at assessing risks and benefits perceived by them, related to the above-mentioned IS products. Results show that consumers do not perceive IS products as risky; alternatively, they perceive several benefits in terms of the quality and functionality of these products. Furthermore, consumers are aware that IS products can contribute to preserving the natural environment. Finally, most consumers declare a purchase intention of the investigated IS products and are willing to pay a premium price for them. The results of this paper highlight that potential markets for IS products currently exist and suggest companies to include IS products into their product portfolio.

IN: Proceedings IFKAD 2021 – Managing Knowledge in Uncertain Times
PP: 1006-1023