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The Opportunity Cost of Pro-Environmental Activities: Spending Time to Promote the Environment

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  • Shigeru Matsumoto

Abstract

This study examines how working hours and the opportunity cost of time affect an individual’s decision to participate in a time-consuming pro-environmental activity—namely, the purchase of refillable products—while using data from the Japanese General Social Survey 2002 . By purchasing refillable products, an individual can reduce the amount of waste that needs to be disposed; however, she or he must spend time refilling bottles (i.e., a pro-environmental activity). Our empirical results demonstrate that individuals who work long hours and those with high wage rates tend to purchase nonrefillable products. Therefore, both time constraints and the opportunity cost of time are important factors in the decision to undertake pro-environmental activities. Copyright Springer Science+Business Media New York 2014

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  • Shigeru Matsumoto, 2014. "The Opportunity Cost of Pro-Environmental Activities: Spending Time to Promote the Environment," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 35(1), pages 119-130, March.
    • Handle: RePEc:kap:jfamec:v:35:y:2014:i:1:p:119-130
    DOI: 10.1007/s10834-013-9354-3
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    2. Artjoms Ivlevs, 2019. "Adverse Welfare Shocks and Pro‐Environmental Behavior: Evidence from the Global Economic Crisis," Review of Income and Wealth, International Association for Research in Income and Wealth, vol. 65(2), pages 293-311, June.
    3. Xiaoling Zhu & Hio-Jung Shin, 2021. "Financial Analysis for Improving River Water Quality through Introduction of Organic Agriculture," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(5), pages 1-15, March.
    4. Xueping Wu & Liping Zhang & Jianhua Huang & Wei Li & Yanhua Chen & Wenhai Qiu, 2021. "Evolutionary Game Analysis on Behavioral Strategies of Government and Residents in Municipal Household Waste Separation," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(20), pages 1-19, October.
    5. Towhid Babazadeh & Haidar Nadrian & Mohammad Mosaferi & Hamid Allahverdipour, 2018. "Identifying Challenges and Barriers to Participating in the Source Separation of Waste Program in Tabriz, Northwest of Iran: A Qualitative Study from the Citizens’ Perspective," Resources, MDPI, vol. 7(3), pages 1-14, August.
    6. Martha A. Starr, 2015. "The Economics of Ethical Consumption," Working Papers 2015-01, American University, Department of Economics.
    7. Matsumoto, Shigeru, 2020. "Do individuals free ride on participation in environmental policies? Personal values and waste management practices," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 174(C).
    8. Cho, Sangmin & Kim, Jihyo & Park, Hi-Chun & Heo, Eunnyeong, 2015. "Incentives for waste cooking oil collection in South Korea: A contingent valuation approach," Resources, Conservation & Recycling, Elsevier, vol. 99(C), pages 63-71.
    9. Hua Zhang & Zong-Guo Wen, 2014. "Residents’ Household Solid Waste (HSW) Source Separation Activity: A Case Study of Suzhou, China," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 6(9), pages 1-21, September.
    10. Zhou, Jiehong & Liu, Qing & Mao, Rui & Yu, Xiaohua, 2017. "Habit spillovers or induced awareness: Willingness to pay for eco-labels of rice in China," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 71(C), pages 62-73.
    11. Swarn Chatterjee & Lu Fan & Soomin Ryu & Jinhee Kim, 2021. "A Decade Review of Asian Studies in the Journal of Family and Economic Issues from 2010 to 2019," Journal of Family and Economic Issues, Springer, vol. 42(1), pages 178-194, July.

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