Work

Connecting the dots in green food purchasing behavior literature: A system thinking approach for systematic literature reviews

Year: 2024

Type: review

Abstract: Recent years have been characterized by an ever‐growing interest in consumers' behavior while purchasing green food products. Although existing research has produced a great number of papers on this topic, the knowledge generated in the field appears fragmented and, in certain cases, ambiguous. The main reasons can be traced back to the lack of reference frameworks that clarify the most used concepts, thus providing a shared language in this research domain. Despite other literature reviews that have been carried out on the domain of green food purchasing behavior, these works mainly rely on narrative summaries and qualitative analyses, which can overlook the complexity and interdependencies inherent in this research domain. The complexity of interconnected factors within this research domain poses challenges in effectively understanding and representing the underlying dynamics. To overcome these limitations, this paper proposes the use of a System Thinking based approach as a valuable method to provide a complete view of dynamics occurring in the green consumption behavior domain. In particular, we propose the integration of causal loop diagrams as a powerful visual tool to augment the conventional Systematic Literature Review process to provide a view at a glance of dynamics and capture the complex interdependencies occurring in a specific research domain. We carried out a systematic literature review by analyzing a set of 67 papers. We find nine relevant themes in the investigated research domain. Besides a descriptive picture of the scientific activity, a map of the main dynamics occurring in green food purchasing behavior has been provided.

Source: Business Ethics the Environment & Responsibility

DOI: 10.1111/beer.12738

Authors: Alberto Michele Felicetti, Roberto Linzalone, Serena Filippelli, Barbara Bigliardi

Institutions: University of Calabria, University of Parma

Language: English

Topic: Organic Food and Agriculture

Subfield: Plant Science

Field: Agricultural and Biological Sciences

Domain: Life Sciences

SDG: Responsible consumption and production

Open Access status: hybrid

Estimated APC paid: $3,450