Sustainability and country-of-origin: How much do they matter to consumers in Switzerland?

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to gain a deeper understanding of the market for sustainably produced domestic products by categorising consumers into homogeneous groups. Thereby, the role of sustainability in the purchase of domestic products should also be identified.

Design/methodology/approach

Paper-and-pencil questionnaires were sent to a random sample of Swiss households and completed by 1,174 individuals from the German- and French-speaking parts of Switzerland. A principal component analysis resulted in 12 components, which were then used in a hierarchical cluster analysis.

Findings

For all the identified consumer segments except one, sustainability or product origin (or both) is an important decision criterion that influences their food shopping behaviour. The results show that patriotism is not necessarily the only reason for buying domestically produced food and agricultural products. The decision to buy domestic food products is also associated with ecological, economic and social sustainability as well as other factors, such as healthfulness, regionality and seasonality.

Originality/value

The study shows how the sustainability and consumption of domestic food products are linked and reveals important drivers of consumption.

Citation

Götze, F. and Brunner, T.A. (2020), "Sustainability and country-of-origin: How much do they matter to consumers in Switzerland?", British Food Journal, Vol. 122 No. 1, pp. 291-308. https://doi.org/10.1108/BFJ-06-2018-0401