A new study, that ConPolicy was involved with, shows that consumers are in principle willing to engage in the circular economy (CE) and consume sustainably but this does not reflect on their actual behavior so far. Therefore, the study investigated instruments that could boost consumers’ CE-engagement. Results show that by providing better information the willingness of consumers to buy more durable and reparable products can be increased.
Furthermore, five recommendations were derived:
- Increasing consumers’ CE-engagement by strengthening their environmental attitudes and awareness
- Making repair easier
- Creating financial incentives for reparability and durability of products
- Making information on reparability and durability of products visible at the point of sale
- Guaranteeing accurate information on reparability and durability of products
The study was implemented by ConPolicy in a consortium led by LE Europe and VVA for the European Commission. It sheds light on the motivational drivers and barriers for consumers in the circular economy. The results were collected on the basis of a behavioral experiment and survey in several EU member states.