Consumer perception of bio-based products—An exploratory study in 5 European countries

Figures & data

Fig. 1 Linkage of provided keywords with the term bio-based (proximity to ‘bio-based’ indicates a higher occurrence; light blue <10; blue 10–20; dark blue >20). (For interpretation of the references to color in this figure legend, the reader is referred to the web version of this article.).

Table 1 Feelings towards ‘bio-based’ and related associations.

Feelings	Participants’ associations
Positive feelings	Bio, Environmentally friendly, Natural, Health, Agricultural development, Energy, Future, Ideal, Innovative, Shopping criteria, Sustainable
Negative feelings	Buzzword, Unknown, Waste
Mixed feelings	Innovative, Organic, Bio, Biological, Environment, Health, Marketing, Distrust

Table 2 Questions of participants about ‘bio-based’.

Topics mentioned as unknown	Questions raised:
Bio	Is bio-based bio (including organic, natural, biological)?
Composition/Ingredients	To what extent is a bio-based product actually bio-based (including organic, natural, biological)? What are other ingredients/compounds?
Environmentally friendly	Is bio-based environmentally friendly? Is it more friendly than biological, natural or organic?
Product/Production life cycle	Is a product bio-based or does it concern the production process/technique of producing?
Biodegradable	Is bio-based biodegradable?
Energy	Can you make energy/fuel with bio-based?
Waste	Does bio-based reduce waste?

Table 3 Most common product-specific positive and negative associations and mixed feelings.

	Positive	Negative	Mixed
T-shirt	environment, looks, health	looks, price, distrust	production, information
Natural paint	environment, kids, quality	toxic, health, price	bio-based, partly plant-based, toxic
WPC	durability, aesthetics, price	aesthetics, involvement, toxic	unknown, environmentally friendly, resources
Dashboard	environmentally friendly, aesthetics, modern	aesthetics, bio-based, companies
Coca cola	environmentally friendly, plant-based, recycle	package, environmentally friendly, plant-based	plant-based, environmentally friendly, plastic
Shopping bag	biodegradable, environmentally friendly, price	convenience, biodegradable	waste
Foot cream	natural, content of product	package, price, convenience	package, health, bio-based, plant-based

Table 4 Examples of questions from participants regarding bio-based products.

Topics mentioned as unknown	Questions raised:
Composition/Ingredients	What percentage of a product should be bio-based in order to position the product as bio-based?
Environmentally friendly	Is the dye used in bio-based products not harmful to the environment?
Product/Production life cycle	What are the characteristics of bio-based products? Is it made from oil or rapeseed oil? Are we talking about raw materials such as shredded and re-used bamboo? From which renewable resource has the product been made? What are the production costs? Are materials grown for this purpose?
Biodegradable	How long will it take for bio-based products to degrade?
Energy	Does it take less energy to produce bio-based products? How much energy is needed for the production of such a [bio-based] bag?
Waste	Is it made from waste?
Appearance	What does bio-plastic look like?
Toxic	Are bio-based floors treated with non-toxic materials?
Recyclable, durable	Are bio-based products recyclable? How durable are bio-based products?