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Cited by 39Sustainable Supply Chain ManagementEnvironmental Sustainability in BusinessEconomic and Environmental Valuation

Consumer Demand for Circular Products: Identifying Customer Segments in the Circular Economy

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Boyer, Robert H. W., Hunka, Agnieszka D., Whalen, Katherine A.·2021·Sustainability
DOI 10.3390/su132212348
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Abstract

Understanding consumer preferences in the circular economy can help producers develop profitable strategies, lowering the risk involved in transitioning to circular business models and circular product design. This study uses a choice experiment to identify customer segments for mobile phones and robot vacuum cleaners at different levels of circularity. The experiment observes how a product’s theoretical Circular Economy Score (ranging from 0 to 100) influences consumer preferences as compared to other product attributes like price, appearance, warranty, battery life, reseller type, or ease of repair. Drawing from 800 UK respondents, the results indicate the presence of three customer segments that are sensitive to a product’s Circular Economy Score, including two that appear willing to purchase recirculated items and one that expresses a preference against them. The results offer initial evidence that a market for recirculated consumer electronics exists and that circularity labeling is a marketable option. The results also present a strong rationale for further research that probes a greater variety of products and contexts.

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Cited by

Sorted by citations

Authors
Boyer, R. H. W., Hunka, A. D., & Whalen, K. A.
Affiliations
RISE Research Institutes of Sweden (SE)
Corresponding author
Boyer, Robert H. W.
ORCID
Venue
Sustainability
Publisher
MDPI AG
Published
2021-11-09
Volume
13
Issue
22
Pages
12348
ISSN
2071-1050 (ISSN-L)
DOI
10.3390/su132212348
OpenAlex
W3212390309
Cited by
39
References
2
Citations by year
2026: 9 · 2025: 12 · 2024: 6 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 4
FWCI
4.02
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Licence
Locations
  • Sustainability (publishedVersion, cc-by)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
Marianne and Marcus Wallenberg Foundation (MMW 2015.0045)
Topics
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Strategy and Management › Sustainable Supply Chain Management
  • Social Sciences › Business, Management and Accounting › Marketing › Environmental Sustainability in Business
  • Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Economic and Environmental Valuation
Keywords
circular economy, consumer demand, customer segmentation, circular products, mobile devices, robot vacuum cleaners, product design, discrete choice experiment, willingness to pay

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