Product-related environmental information to guide consumer purchases - a review and analysis of research on perceptions, understanding and use among Nordic consumers

Informed product choices are a prerequisite for the greening of consumption. Nordic consumers are subject to an ever-growing amount of product-related environmental information that is available in a number of formats. The degree to which they use information is disputed. This paper reviews Nordic research on consumer perceptions, understanding and use of product-related environmental information. The majority of the publications point to a great number of consumers, who recognise, know and possess sufficient confidence in the main eco-labels and should therefore, be able to use them. However, this is not always the case. How the product-related environmental information works in the market place is dependent upon many determinants related to the purchasing moment. Therefore, in contrast to the majority of research on the topic, studies of the use of product-related environmental information suggests that the focus should be on the purchasing decision and take into account the dynamic context of the diverse purchasing situations.