engleski

Measuring consumer environmental responsibility

Environmental attitudes and their impact on consumer behaviour became a key topic of research work and marketing strategies as far back as 1970s. There have been different approaches and views of the factors influencing the behaviour of so-called green consumers. Whereas some have focused on knowledge as a cognitive component of environmental attitudes, others have studied emotional and behavioural variables. Green consumers are a socio-demographic segment that takes into account certain environmental criteria when deciding what to buy. To meet the demands of this specific, and, according to many authors, growing and potentially profitable market segment, so-called green producers came into being. Their products are marketed in programmes based on a sustainable development paradigm. At the same time, manufacturers of conventional products started developing varied communication and other strategies in order to win the favour of this consumer segment. In Croatian marketing theory, and increasingly in practice, one can encounter the thesis that it is essential to incorporate environmental values into marketing strategies and programmes. However, comparatively little is known about Croatian green consumers and the general level of environmental responsibility in Croatia. The aim of this paper is to consider ECOSCALE as a tool for the measurement of environmentally responsible consumers. ECOSCALE is a measurement instrument covering a wide range of elements and factors influencing environmental responsibility. The survey was carried out with students at the Faculty of Economics in Osijek in order to obtain some indicative results and test the adapted measurement instrument. ECOSCALE provides the insight into the levels of environmental responsibility in society or one of its segments. Thus it can be of help in shaping adequate strategies in order to meet the growing environmental requirements posed by the society and its members.

ECOSCALE; environmental marketing; green consumers; measurement instrument; sustainable development

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