The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium

Currently, carbon emissions are the primary driver of the global greenhouse gas effect, closely linked to daily consumption activities. Low-carbon consumption has emerged as a critical component of the low-carbon economy. Carbon labels were introduced to guide consumers toward more sustainable choic...

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Main Authors: Yu Yao, Xiaoxiao He, Zhenhua Liu
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Elsevier 2025-12-01
Series:Sustainable Futures
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825003557
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author Yu Yao
Xiaoxiao He
Zhenhua Liu
author_facet Yu Yao
Xiaoxiao He
Zhenhua Liu
author_sort Yu Yao
collection DOAJ
description Currently, carbon emissions are the primary driver of the global greenhouse gas effect, closely linked to daily consumption activities. Low-carbon consumption has emerged as a critical component of the low-carbon economy. Carbon labels were introduced to guide consumers toward more sustainable choices. By enhancing access to environmental-friendly information, carbon labeling mitigates the asymmetry of carbon-related information between consumers and manufacturers. Additionally, as a guiding social norm, it contributes to fostering a culture of low-carbon consumption. This study analyzes the impact of carbon labels on consumers’ low-carbon purchasing decisions by categorizing them into numerical and non-numerical types. Utilizing an incremental dual-pronged experimental design, we explore the interplay among consumers’ nature relatedness, the perceived value of carbon labels, trust levels in these labels, preferences for label types, and the willingness to pay a premium for carbon-labeled products. The experimental results indicate that consumers’ environmental attitudes - nature relatedness, significantly influence their willingness to purchase low-carbon products, higher levels of nature relatedness are positively associated with an increased likelihood of selecting carbon-labeled products, especially those featuring numerical carbon labels. Furthermore, the perceived value of carbon labels and the degree of trust in these labels serve as dual mediators between nature relatedness and the willingness to choose and pay a premium for carbon-labeled goods. Interestingly, consumers demonstrate a higher willingness to pay a premium for non-numerical carbon labels compared to numerical ones. These findings offer valuable insights for Chinese enterprises looking to implement marketing strategies based on carbon labeling as they navigate the early stages of the low-carbon economy.
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spelling doaj-art-1166d2a3a9d94758985e428e62ed470c2025-08-20T03:31:23ZengElsevierSustainable Futures2666-18882025-12-011010079010.1016/j.sftr.2025.100790The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premiumYu Yao0Xiaoxiao He1Zhenhua Liu2School of International Business, Shaanxi Normal UniversitySchool of International Business, Shaanxi Normal UniversitySchool of International Business, Shaanxi Normal UniversityCurrently, carbon emissions are the primary driver of the global greenhouse gas effect, closely linked to daily consumption activities. Low-carbon consumption has emerged as a critical component of the low-carbon economy. Carbon labels were introduced to guide consumers toward more sustainable choices. By enhancing access to environmental-friendly information, carbon labeling mitigates the asymmetry of carbon-related information between consumers and manufacturers. Additionally, as a guiding social norm, it contributes to fostering a culture of low-carbon consumption. This study analyzes the impact of carbon labels on consumers’ low-carbon purchasing decisions by categorizing them into numerical and non-numerical types. Utilizing an incremental dual-pronged experimental design, we explore the interplay among consumers’ nature relatedness, the perceived value of carbon labels, trust levels in these labels, preferences for label types, and the willingness to pay a premium for carbon-labeled products. The experimental results indicate that consumers’ environmental attitudes - nature relatedness, significantly influence their willingness to purchase low-carbon products, higher levels of nature relatedness are positively associated with an increased likelihood of selecting carbon-labeled products, especially those featuring numerical carbon labels. Furthermore, the perceived value of carbon labels and the degree of trust in these labels serve as dual mediators between nature relatedness and the willingness to choose and pay a premium for carbon-labeled goods. Interestingly, consumers demonstrate a higher willingness to pay a premium for non-numerical carbon labels compared to numerical ones. These findings offer valuable insights for Chinese enterprises looking to implement marketing strategies based on carbon labeling as they navigate the early stages of the low-carbon economy.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825003557Nature relatednessPerceived valueTrustCarbon label typeLow-carbon consumption
spellingShingle Yu Yao
Xiaoxiao He
Zhenhua Liu
The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
Sustainable Futures
Nature relatedness
Perceived value
Trust
Carbon label type
Low-carbon consumption
title The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
title_full The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
title_fullStr The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
title_full_unstemmed The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
title_short The impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
title_sort impact of nature relatedness on carbon labeling type selection and willingness to pay a carbon premium
topic Nature relatedness
Perceived value
Trust
Carbon label type
Low-carbon consumption
url http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2666188825003557
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