Nostalgia and Consumers’ Product Recycling Decisions
(A2025-126379)

AUTHORS

Linjia Jiang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong; Jessica Kwong, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

ABSTRACT

Nostalgia has always been a prevalent marketing strategy, yet its role in promoting consumers’ sustainability practices remains underexplored. This paper investigates how nostalgia impacts consumers’ product recycling decisions. Across five studies, we demonstrate the positive effect of nostalgia on consumers’ recycling intentions. Moreover, we find that the effect diminishes when the products are not regarded as part of consumers’ self-identity, including brand and cultural identity. Despite its rose-tinted nature, we propose that nostalgia heightens people’s awareness that time is constrained and fleeting. Consequently, consumers are motivated to prolong their symbolic existence and prioritize goals from which they derive maximum socioemotional values. This paper contributes to the existing research by showing how nostalgia facilitates consumer green behavior and provides implications for marketers.