Mainstreaming green products from industrial symbiosis: Does environmental knowledge affect consumers' perceptions and behavioral intentions?

The textile and the furniture industries are responsible for huge environmental impacts. Thus, prompting sustainable production and consumption models, according to the UN sustainable development goal n.12, in these industries is essential. Developing industrial symbiosis (IS) practices between the textile and the furniture industries, through the use of textile industrial waste as input for producing furniture products and successfully marketing these products (IS products) can represent a key way to achieve this goal. A widespread diffusion of IS products in the market is needed to really lead to a reduction of environmental burdens. A deep knowledge of consumer perceptions and behavioral intentions towards IS products is thus needed. To this aim, a survey of 1156 Italian consumers has been conducted, with a specific focus on IS sofas. Results show that consumers perceive these products as being characterized by a high degree of green utility. Consumers also declare not to be willing to accept a worsening of performance, especially comfort and quality. While about 77 % would consider purchasing, a much lower percentage (<50 %) declare a high likelihood of purchasing such products. About 90 % of consumers state they are willing to pay a premium price for an IS sofa. Several aspects that would increase the purchase intention of an IS sofa are also identified. Consumer’s knowledge on is found to play a prominent role in positively influencing consumer’s perceptions and behavioral intention, as significant differences between respondents with a high level of IS knowledge and those with a low level are highlighted for attitude, purchase intention, green perceived utility, and for some factors that would increase the purchase intention. Implications for managers, scholars, and policy makers are drawn from this study.