What drives environmentally friendly packaging choices? Evidence from an in-store field study of real shopping behavior and psychological determinants

Single-use plastic packaging contributes substantially to global waste, and the transition to environmentally friendly packaging (EFP) depends on consumer acceptance. Prior research reports favorable attitudes and intentions toward sustainable packaging, but little research has used actual sales-based purchasing behavior under retail conditions. The present study combines a six-week in-store field experiment in three supermarkets, involving a conventional PET tray and three environmentally friendly alternatives (rPET, PLA, and cardboard) for snack tomatoes (1470 purchase decisions), with a linked in-store intercept survey (n = 83) drawing on the Food Choice Questionnaire and an extended theory of planned behavior (TPB). Across all stores, 53% of consumers chose tomatoes in an environmentally friendly tray despite the higher price and potential trade-offs. The results of the survey reveal that purchase decisions were primarily influenced by classic product-related cues, such as taste, quality, healthiness, and regional origin. Packaging-related attributes played a less important role but were clearly differentiated between buyers of conventional and environmentally friendly packaged tomatoes. A binary logistic regression analysis based on the extended TPB further identified packaging involvement as the strongest predictor, while attitudes, willingness to pay, and younger age were also positively related to the likelihood of choosing EFP. Thus, the study provides novel behavioral evidence from a food retail context, demonstrating that consumers adopt sustainable packaging when their core product expectations are met and when the packaging alternatives are integrated into the general assortment. The findings can guide retailers and producers in assortment design, positioning, and in-store implementation, while also informing policymakers in accelerating the transition to more EFP solutions.