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How Supportive Are Romanian Consumers of the Circular Economy Concept: A Survey

Author

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  • Elena Simina Lakatos

    (Department of Management and Economical Engineering, Faculty of Machine Building, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca 400641, Romania
    Center for Innovation and Organizational Sustainability, Cluj-Napoca 400609, Romania)

  • Viorel Dan

    (Department of Environmental Engineering and Sustainable Development Entrepreneurship, Faculty of Materials and Environmental Engineering, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca 400641, Romania)

  • Lucian Ionel Cioca

    (Department of Industrial Engineering and Management, Faculty of Engineering, “Lucian Blaga” University of Sibiu, Sibiu 550024, Romania
    Academy of Romanian Scientists, Bucharest 010071, Romania)

  • Laura Bacali

    (Department of Management and Economical Engineering, Faculty of Machine Building, Technical University of Cluj-Napoca, Cluj-Napoca 400641, Romania
    Center for Innovation and Organizational Sustainability, Cluj-Napoca 400609, Romania)

  • Andreea Maria Ciobanu

    (Department of Economics, Accounting and International Business, Faculty of Economics and Business Administration, University of Craiova, Craiova 200585, Romania)

Abstract

The aim of this paper is to investigate consumer behavior regarding the environment and the adoption of new patterns of behavior and responsible consumption in the promotion of a Circular Economy (CE) in Romania. With this goal in mind, a questionnaire survey was performed on-line on a nationwide scale to explore consumers’ behaviors and attitudes, which was distributed in all four of Romania’s macro-regions and interviewing 642 respondents. The results indicate that the consumers have a positive attitude towards the importance of the environmental protection, in general and it also measures the frequency of adopting eco-friendly behaviors by the consumers, showing that the consumption behavior is not very consistent with the general attitude regarding environment. As a parallel, consumers are aware of the importance of CE business models, in general, both for the economy and for the environment, but the adoption of consumption patterns specific to CE business models, necessary for the development and the success of the CE business models, has a low probability in the absence of direct or indirect incentives and benefits fostering the adoption of these consumption patterns. In conclusion, the development of CE business models in Romania requires a national strategy, which includes means to sustain the adoption of necessary new consumption behaviors, besides awareness raising and educational campaigns for explaining to consumers the liaison and the impact of their behavior to the environment and to the economy.

Suggested Citation

  • Elena Simina Lakatos & Viorel Dan & Lucian Ionel Cioca & Laura Bacali & Andreea Maria Ciobanu, 2016. "How Supportive Are Romanian Consumers of the Circular Economy Concept: A Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(8), pages 1-17, August.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:8:y:2016:i:8:p:789-:d:75832
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. World Commission on Environment and Development,, 1987. "Our Common Future," OUP Catalogue, Oxford University Press, number 9780192820808.
    2. Herman E. Daly, 2007. "Ecological Economics and Sustainable Development, Selected Essays of Herman Daly," Books, Edward Elgar Publishing, number 12606.
    3. Mateusz Lewandowski, 2016. "Designing the Business Models for Circular Economy—Towards the Conceptual Framework," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 8(1), pages 1-28, January.
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