Guidelines to Foster Consumer Acceptance of Products Made from Recycled Plastics

The circular economy can reduce the environmental footprint of today’s consumption and close the resource loop through circular material flows. Companies are encouraged to follow circular principles, such as using more recycled plastic materials. This initiative seems promising; however, it will only be successful if consumers are willing to adopt products that are made from recycled plastics. Consumers often have a positive image of products made from recycled plastics; however, they are also concerned about the perceived product risks. How can companies increase the appeal of recycled plastics to consumers? In this paper, we propose a set of seven guidelines intended to highlight the value of products made from recycled plastics, tackle any perceived risks, and thereby enhance consumer acceptance of such products. Specifically, we highlight how aspects related to product design, marketing elements and business models, can increase consumer evaluations and adoption of products made from recycled plastics. The proposed guidelines provide future directions that could be inspiring for both academics and managers interested in the topics of consumer behaviour, circular economy, and sustainability.