Is this Still Fast Food?! Analyzing Consumer Acceptance of Reusable Packaging at McDonald’s restaurants
(A2024-119701)

AUTHORS

Daniel Maar, Paris School of Business; Gisele de Campos Ribeiro, Paris School of Business; Edouard Vinçotte, EDC Paris Business School (laboratoire O.C.R.E)

ABSTRACT

Considering that the fast-food industry produces a tremendous amount of packaging waste, this article aims to analyze consumers’ acceptance of reusable tableware at McDonald’s - a service innovation that the company recently introduced in France. We conducted a multi-method study. First, based on an exploratory study with 100 US consumers, we develop a research framework on the relationship between consumers’ individual level collectivist values and their acceptance of reusable packaging at McDonald’s. Second, we test the framework with a sample of 330 US consumers. We find that consumers’ individual level collectivist values increase their acceptance of the implementation reusable tableware at McDonald’s. Specifically, the stronger consumers’ individual level collectivist values, the more they believe that the introduction of reusable tableware ultimately enhances their personal dining experience – (1) directly and (2) indirectly via an increased consideration of how this tableware reduces the negative societal consequences of dining at McDonald’s.