Tracking Change: Mapping the Path to Sustainable Behaviors
(A2025-125971)

AUTHORS

Sara Valentini, Bocconi University, Italy; Davide Proserpio, University of Southern California; Daniel Halbheer, HEC Paris; Elisa Montaguti, University of Bologna

ABSTRACT

As sustainability becomes a critical global priority, the contributions of firms, consumers, policymakers, and communities in fostering sustainable behaviors and circularity take center stage. This special session brings together four studies that examine diverse facets of sustainability in marketing, encompassing initiatives driven by businesses, consumer actions, and collective efforts influenced by public and private stakeholders. From circular business models to the behavioral impact of eco-movements, and from multimodal communication strategies to large-scale corporate programs like Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly initiative, these presentations provide a holistic perspective on sustainability. The first presentation, “Product Design and Consumer Participation in Circular Business Models” by Stefan Buehler, Rachel Chen, and Daniel Halbheer, develops an analytical framework to examine the interplay between product recyclability and consumer participation in recycling. The study uncovers counterintuitive insights, such as how strong environmental preferences might inadvertently increase waste through demand expansion and how competition affects recyclability. By exploring financial incentives and product line strategies, the authors reveal how firms can balance profitability and environmental impact in circular business models. The second presentation, “The Impact of Sustainability Programs on Consumer Purchase Behavior: Evidence From Amazon” by Davide Proserpio, Daniela Yu, Tyler Mangini, and Ken Lau, analyzes the effectiveness of Amazon’s Climate Pledge Friendly (CPF) program in driving sustainable consumption. Using a Difference-in-Differences approach and a dataset of 45,000 products, the authors demonstrate significant sales uplifts for products adopting CPF certification, especially for low-visibility and consumable items. The findings provide actionable insights for firms looking to enhance the adoption of sustainability initiatives. The third presentation, “Multimodal Intricacies in TikTok: Effects of Narrating Voice and Text Overlays in Green Claim Videos” by Cristoforo Losito, Stefania Farace, Anna Maria Tuan, and Elisa Montaguti, investigates how multimodal communication influences consumer engagement with green claims on TikTok. Contrary to popular practices, the study finds that a “less is more” approach—avoiding narrating voices and text overlays—enhances engagement with green claim videos. These results have profound implications for marketers and policymakers aiming to craft effective sustainable communication strategies. The final presentation, “Eco-Movement Echoes: Tracing Sustainability Shifts with GPS Data” by Qiaoni Shi, Sara Valentini, and Liyang Zhou, uses real-time GPS tracking to examine the influence of Greta Thunberg’s eco-activism event in New York City on consumer behaviors. By distinguishing between active and passive participants, the authors identify significant shifts in sustainable consumption patterns following the event. While these shifts demonstrate the potential of eco-activism to inspire behavioral change, the findings also reveal a key challenge: translating these changes into actual reductions in emissions. Active participants reduce their overall environmental footprint, whereas passive participants adopt more sustainable behaviors but simultaneously increase overall consumption, highlighting the complexity of achieving tangible environmental impact. Together, these contributions offer a rich array of insights for researchers, practitioners, and policymakers.