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A rising concern among consumers regarding the environment degradation and health concerns due to plastic cutlery has created a demand in the market for the sustainable and more eco-friendly cutlery alternatives. The noticeable shift in the demand from plastic cutlery to the eco-friendly cutlery reflects the environmental concern of both the individual users and the bulk users which are Restaurants. Plastic cutlery contains hazardous toxins and carcinogens as it is a by-product of petroleum therefore negatively impacting the human body as well as the environment. With the growing digital age and the platform economy, the problem of takeaway packaging inclusive of cutlery pollution is becoming extremely prominent. The low extent of purchase of eco-friendly cutlery stands contrary to the environmental concern and the environmental knowledge of the consumers.
This study attempts to analyze the switch to eco-friendly cutlery from the traditional plastic cutlery and the factors affecting the same for the individual end consumers of cutlery and the restaurant bulk consumers of cutlery. To investigate the consumer’s intention of purchasing eco-friendly cutlery, additional constructs have been included in the traditional “Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB)”. 120 individual end consumers of cutlery were interviewed to study the behavior of consumers and 36 restaurants were examined to understand the factors affecting the bulk consumers of cutlery.
It is proven by path analysis that the majority of the proposed constructs have positive impacts in addition to the traditional constructs. Therefore, people and the restaurants are making attempt to shift to eco-friendly cutlery to reduce the waste disposal to a large extend. The outcomes will give policymakers insights into consumer preferences, which will assist them decide their future course of action.
