A research report on Indian consumer behaviour with respect to sustainable products and services.

1. AWARENESS, ATTITUDES, BARRIERS, AND DRIVERS TOWARDS ADOPTION OF LOW-WASTE, SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE SOLUTIONS AMONG MIDDLE-CLASS INDIAN CONSUMERS, 2020
AWARENESS, ATTITUDES, BARRIERS, AND DRIVERS
TOWARDS ADOPTION OF LOW-WASTE, SUSTAINABLE LIFESTYLE
SOLUTIONS
AMONG MIDDLE-CLASS INDIAN CONSUMERS
Author
Ajinkya Chikte

2. 2
Abstract
Plastic pollution is a major worldwide problem, more so in developing nations that do
not have adequate waste management infrastructure. In India, governments and
businesses alike are taking actions towards reducing single-use plastic waste, and
consumers are becoming more aware. Yet, adoption of sustainable products and
services is low, even among those with intent. This gap between conversion and
action is a pain point for our subscription business, Homebox Express. In an effort to
understand how to bridge this gap, we sought to understand the consumer’s outlook
on issues of sustainability. The aim of this study was to understand, among middle-
class Indian consumers, the level of awareness around plastic waste issues, and
how it affected their attitudes towards the problem. Another aim was to find barriers
and drivers with regards to adoption of sustainable products or services.
This explorative study was carried out through a survey which drew 193 usable
responses, followed by personal interviews with 4 individuals. Further interviews
were disrupted by the Covid Pandemic, limiting the scope of our qualitative segment.
The study found that awareness of and involvement in mismanaged waste related
issues did not affect intent and purchase or usage of sustainable products as much
as demographic and psychographic factors do. This means that the operating
assumptions for marketing the Homebox Express service were incorrect, and
marketing communication not only needs realignment with the new findings, but the
new findings themselves require deeper qualitative study to identify correlations
between factors such as age, gender, interests, preferences, and emotional
experience with issues related to sustainability and mismanaged waste.

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Introduction
Business Issues
In recent times, there has been a spike in consumer awareness around sustainability
issues, largely due to efforts by activists as well as governments who are spreading
awareness about various environmental issues. One such pressing issue is plastic
pollution, which has gained a lot of attention over the past few years. Yet, these
awareness drives tend to highlight generic statistics and provocative stories, with
little focus on solutions.
Hence, despite the apparent surge in awareness drives, consumers are still not very
well informed about the problem, and are hesitant or reluctant to adopt sustainable
lifestyles, mainly due to the lack of alternatives and lack of availability of sustainable
products and services.
In this context, I have recently launched a service called Homebox Express, which
offers sustainable subscriptions for consumer packaged goods with the convenience
of free delivery and free recovery of waste for recycling. The pilot phase of this
service was met with a positive response and adequate sales. Yet, with the inflow of
traffic on the website, conversions can be greatly improved.
In an effort to improve conversions on the website and get more paying subscribers
for this service, there is a need to explore what the target audience thinks and knows
about the problem, and what their pains and needs are with respect to waste
reduction and sustainable living.

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Relevance of Research
Plastic pollution is a widely known problem that affects every living thing on this
planet. Of the 5.8 billion tonnes of single-use plastic produced since 1950, only 9%
has been recycled. Of the rest, some was burnt to pollute our air, but most of it was
dumped in landfills, rivers, oceans, and dumped out in the open in developing
countries. In fact, by 2025, almost 60% of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste will
come from south and east Asian countries.
Moreover, younger consumers across the world are driving demand for sustainable
products, and recent research suggests that young urban Indian consumers are pro-
actively adopting ecologically conscious consumption behavior, which big brands are
now taking seriously.
Additionally, the waste management industry in India is expected to grow to $14
billion by 2025, and adopting circular economy principles and practices presents far
greater economic value and reduction of GDP risk.
Hence, understanding consumer attitudes, perceptions, habit, and limitations is
deeply relevant to driving adoption of sustainable lifestyle choices and circular
economy practices.

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Broad Objectives
The main goal of this research was to understand consumer perspectives on issues
of environmental sustainability and to gauge the level of awareness, acceptance,
and action undertaken by middle-class Indian consumers towards an ecologically
conscious lifestyle. This would help the Homebox Express brand to better segment,
target, and address consumer groups through developing a deeper understanding of
where potential consumers stand with respect to adopting low-waste, sustainable
lifestyles, and what factors encourage and discourage the adoption of sustainable
solutions and services among these consumers.
The main research questions that need to be answered are whether people are
actually aware of the immediate dangers posed by mismanaged waste to the lives of
potential consumers and their kin, and if they are aware of modern economic
solutions that have been proposed to try and tackle these dangers. To this end, the
proposed research aims to expose potential customers to structured information and
facts regarding mismanaged waste and to capture their level of awareness of these
facts, along with their attitudes/reactions to these facts and figures. Additionally, it is
necessary to understand whether consumers are aware of the concept of a circular
economy, which is a model followed by Homebox Express to make sustainable
consumption affordable and approachable. While a lot of research has been
conducted around circular economy awareness among industry and policy players,
there is little research surrounding consumer awareness of the concept, especially in
India. The outcome of this proposed research will fill some of the gaps left by existing
research around the circular economy and its adoption.

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Refined Research Objectives
1. To understand consumers’ attitudes towards mismanaged waste and plastic
pollution.
2. To understand the width and depth of consumers’ awareness of the plastic
problem.
3. The gauge the level of commitment consumers are willing to make towards
addressing the plastic problem.
4. To classify potential consumer segments for sustainability services with respect
to demographic and psychographic profiles.
5. To understand why consumers with intent are not taking action.
6. To identify what will aid consumers in adopting sustainable living solutions.
Research Questions
1. Are people aware of the extent of environmental damage caused by mismanaged
waste? How do they feel about this?
2. Are people aware of the immediate dangers of plastic pollution to themselves and
their environment?
3. How do people feel about modifying their lifestyle and habits to reduce plastic
waste generation?
4. What kind of people consciously want to reduce their plastic waste (and live more
sustainable lives)?

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5. What are the barriers facing those who want to reduce their plastic waste (and live
more sustainable lives)?
6. What are the key drivers for people to adopt sustainable services and products
(and live more sustainable lives)?
Research Methodology
The research conducted for this paper is essentially exploratory research aimed at
understanding consumer perspectives in India. It is a mix of secondary research and
a direct survey aimed at Indian consumers. Existing literature and data on the topic
is currently inadequate, and the nature of the study has been kept open ended to the
extent that the outcome not be commuted by choosing too narrow a scope to cover.
Since sustainability and ecologically consciousness among consumers is a fairly new
concept in developing nations such as India, it is necessary to review industry and
policy reports from developed economies. In order to keep to the scope of the
business, which follows a circular economy model, it is necessary to review concepts
and applications of Circular Economy (CE) from around the world as well as from
India.
For this purpose, the secondary research is a deep-dive into concepts of CE and
consumer perceptions across relevant geographies. Beyond this, the quantitative
survey is aimed at understanding personal perspectives around the previously stated
research questions.

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The respondent sample is a cross-section of Indian consumers across geographies,
age groups, and other demographic parameters. Their degrees of involvement in
sustainability-related and CE activities varies vastly, and the focus remains largely
on urban, middle-class consumers. This is because the urban areas are the primary
generators of mismanaged waste due to higher consumption as compared to rural or
inland regions on India.
The initial target size for the sample was 100 respondents, but the survey received
over 200 responses, of which 193 are usable and relevant. The exclusions are one-
off outliers and inaccurate inputs.
Academic Literature Review
The following is a write up that is a condensation of reading around the issue of
mismanaged plastic waste, with links to relevant articles that have contributed to the
formulation of the problem statement.
Plastic pollution is a widely known problem that affects every living thing on this
planet. Plastic is found on the highest mountains, in the deepest oceans, and even
inside our bodies. That’s right, it’s not just other animals - humans too end up
ingesting a lot of plastic every year.
Due to being everywhere, plastic waste clogs our drains, leading to urban flooding
and water logging, which in turn leads to diseases like dengue, malaria, and

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diarrhea. It is estimated that one person dies every 30 seconds from diseases
caused by mismanaged waste.
Of the 5.8 billion tonnes of single-use plastic produced since 1950, only 9% has
been recycled. Of the rest, some was burnt to pollute our air, but most of it was
dumped in landfills, rivers, oceans, and dumped out in the open in developing
countries. In fact, by 2025, almost 60% of the world’s mismanaged plastic waste will
come from south and east Asian countries.
In India, poor sanitation and improper waste management are adversely affecting
our GDP. Plastic waste is poses a significant threat to our rivers, oceans, and cities.
Plastic waste goes largely mismanaged in India due to several layered issues. The
first layer is formed by the recyclers, who tend to import plastic waste despite
domestic oversupply because imported waste is cheaper and comes segregated.
Segregation is the second layer, since most consumers do not segregate waste at
source. The third layer is awareness, since most people do not know how to
segregate their waste properly or even what types of plastic are banned, due to
guidelines on waste segregation and plastic bans not being well publicized by
relevant government bodies. The fourth layer is formed by the government, which is
unable to implement effective bans or regulations, and there are continuing problems
with inadequate waste management infrastructure and misreporting of waste
statistics.
This research project will attempt to gain insights into the degree of consumer
awareness around the above stated information.

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The following is a review of existing literature on the subject, which includes
publications in peer-reviewed journals as well as non-peer-reviewed sources, since a
large part of the conceptual and practical work on the Circular Economy concept
comes from non-academic actors, as noted in several previous studies on the
subject (Schut et al., 2015; Ghisellini et al., 2016; Geissdoerfer et al., 2017). The
publications span the period from 2015 to 2018, since the CE concept has gained
wider acceptance only in recent times.
An EY publication from 2015 titled “Are you ready for the Circular Economy?” details
a short understanding of the CE concept, as defined by the Ellen MacArthur
Foundation, and elaborates on the need for adopting CE principles by highlighting
global resource consumption and scarcity that cause price volatility, and enlisting
various incentives for companies to move towards CE. It presents 5 CE business
model types, viz. Circular Input models, Waste Value models, Lifespan models,
Platform Models, and Product-as-service models, with examples of each. It briefly
touches upon certain challenges facing companies that want to move to a CE model,
and offers certain EY services to aid companies in their transition. This publication
displays an active effort on the consulting industry’s behalf at operationalizing
sustainability, but also shows, through the stated examples, that various companies
are working in isolation to achieve a goal that is largely systemic. By virtue of its
existence, this publication may also imply that few corporates are buying into the CE
concept, since it requires hard-selling at a conceptual level by consulting firms such
as EY.

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An article titled “Circular Economy” in Nature magazine (Stahel, 2016) defines the
CE concept using existing frameworks, such as “reuse, recycle, repair,
remanufacture”, and touches upon various aspects of production and consumption
that pose immediate barriers to the CE concept. These include wastage of resources
in current production techniques, consumers’ perceptions of ownership, economists’
ideas of measuring growth, and the silo structures that are prevalent in academia,
industry, and government, and how these established institutions stand threatened
by the idea of CE. It also identifies CE initiatives driven by certain companies and
administrations, and presents a case for a positive decrease in waste generation and
increase in employment generation through adopting CE principles. The article
concludes by emphasizing the need for a systemic approach to implementing CE
principles, where policy, practice, and propaganda work together to achieve a near-
zero-waste economy. This infers that these efforts are not being successfully
undertaken by any of the actors involved.
The first apparent issue emerges in the understanding the CE concept, with a review
of just two publications presenting competing, if not conflicting, definitions. Critics of
the concept have claimed that it means different things to different people. Hence,
Kirchherr, Reike, & Hekkert (2017) collected and examined 114 definitions of the
term “Circular Economy” to create a coherent definition of the current understanding
of the term. They iteratively developed three coding dimensions that relate to the
concept: Core Principles, Aims, and Enablers of CE. They found that 79% of the
definitions emphasized on recycling, 74-75% on reusing, and only 54-55% on
reducing consumption, with 6-7% of their literature sample outlining only recycling as
a CE how-to. Further, only 12% of the sample stated sustainable development as a

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goal of CE, and only 13% referenced all three dimensions of sustainability:
environmental quality, economic prosperity and social equity. Additionally, only 11%
of the definitions mention business models, and 19% mention the
consumer/consumption. This posits that a preliminary barrier in the implementation
of CE principles is a lack of understanding of and consensus on the concept itself.
To gain a deeper understanding of the CE concept, we reviewed a 2018 publication
by Korhonen, Honkasalo, and Seppälä in the Journal of Ecological Economics,
which takes into account that the CE concept is a vague concept pulled together
from various disciplines, and addresses the issue of the scientific content around the
CE discourse being superficial and lacking in critical analysis. It describes CE being
as a convergence of ideas drawn from fields and concepts, such as natural
capitalism, industrial ecology, the concept of zero emissions, cleaner production,
eco-efficiency, product-service systems, biomimicry, resilience of social-ecological
systems, cradle-to-cradle design, the performance economy, industrial ecosystems
and industrial symbioses, among others. This paper takes a critical, scientific
approach in defining CE, and suggests that a successful circular economy should
contribute to all three dimensions of sustainable development – economic,
environmental, and social. It explicates six types of limitations faced by the CE
concept, viz. thermodynamic limits, system boundary limits, limits posed by physical
scale, limits posed by path-dependency & lock-in, limits of governance &
management, and limits of social & cultural definitions. Through its thorough
examination of the CE concept in terms of scientific research and in relation to
sustainable development goals, this paper aids in distilling a clearer understanding of
the CE concept, setting up, in effect, a baseline for scientific research into the

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concept. Yet, at a practical level, it also adds to the cacophony of ambiguity around
the concept that is caused by too many definitions of it being in circulation.
With due consideration of the apparent problem that there is little global synergy with
regard to understanding and implementing CE principles, I reviewed certain
publications that highlight CE implementation from around the world, with the aim of
studying the different approaches adopted by assorted actors from diverse
backgrounds and geographies.
A 2017 publication by the United Nations Industrial Development Organization
provides a quick overview of several governments and corporations undertaking CE
initiatives at different levels of organization and society, resulting in a number of
ecological, economic, and social benefits being derived for local populations and
industries. Some examples of government action include the adoption of a circular
economy law by the Chinese government in 2008 and the EU’s adoption of the
Circular Economy Package in 2015. Business cases presented include a Dutch
medical technology company, a Chilean pump technology company, a Mexican beer
brewery, an American computer company, and a Serbian ball-bearing manufacturer.
The narrative revolves around 4 key terms - Inclusive, Efficient, Long-lasting, and
Continuous. “Inclusive” lays an emphasis on ensuring that developing nations don’t
suffer in export markets due to the declining demand of raw materials that results
from CE adoption in developed nations; “Efficient” highlights the UNIDO’s efforts at
promoting Resource Efficient and Cleaner Production that helps cut costs and
adverse effects of production processes, and presents examples from Belarus,
Serbia, Vietnam, Kenya, and the Southern Mediterranean region; “Long-lasting”

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stresses the need for making safer products with longer life-spans, citing examples
of UNIDO’s efforts in South Asian, Balkan, Caribbean, and Gulf regions;
“Continuous” denotes the ongoing, repeated use of valuable resources that can be
extracted from end-of-life products, with examples from Ethiopia and Guinea. These
examples are validated by relating their outcome to Sustainable Development Goals.
This publication, while lacking significant depth, presents a broad perspective of CE
activity around the world, and goes to show that CE principles and practices can be
adopted and implemented across geographies, economies, societies, and
businesses, irrespective of size, structure, resources, and objectives, while
pertaining to well-defined SDGs.
For a deeper study of CE implementation in specific countries, I reviewed three
publications covering initiatives in Germany, the Netherlands, and India.
A 2017 publication by Henning Wilts in the International Journal of Waste Resources
covers CE implementation in Germany, and starts with presenting a broader
definition of the concept, along with benefits such as improving resource security and
reducing import dependency, along with ecological and economic benefits. It covers
how certain aspects of CE principles, such as waste management, are well
implemented in Germany, with examples and comparisons, such as the fact that
86.9% of household waste in Germany is recycled, compared to the European
average of 37%. It also exhibits success metrics for the German recycling industry,
such as the employment of almost 200,000 people and a turnover of about 40 billion
Euros. Still, it states that further studies indicate that only 38% of waste is actually
returned to production as secondary raw material. With similar examples, this

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publication shows gaps in implementation of CE principles owing to shortcomings in
policy, design, technology, and business models. It emphasizes the need for a
clearer understanding of CE as a concept, devising of policy frameworks for
streamlining the future of the concept, and exploration of financial models that
facilitate the emergence of a holistic circular economy. This paper shows that even
an advanced economy like Germany, with its fabled engineering and management
prowess, finds it difficult, currently, to implement CE principles at scale.
In a 2018 publication by the SMO (Dutch Foundation for Society and Enterprise), a
group of young scientists explicate the complex web of relationships and interactions
that are required to achieve circularity. Through a deep review of existing literature
and interviews with over 40 stakeholders from business, government, and academic
environments, the publication presents the most pressing barriers that prevent
stakeholders from operating in a circular fashion. It elaborates on broadly
categorized barriers and their contributing factors, and also suggests practical
methods of overcoming said barriers. It expounds five broad barriers, viz. lack of
knowledge regarding CE principles & practices, systemic barriers with introducing
circular methods in existing linear systems, limitations in presenting value
propositions to traditional financiers, difficulties in getting the message across to
consumers, and regulatory/policy barriers. This publication echoes the problems
presented by the previous publication covering Germany, and presents a more
detailed set of practical solutions to overcoming these barriers, which mainly voice
the perspectives of members of industry, government, and academia.

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Another geographically contained publication by Accenture, titled “Accelerating
India’s Circular Economy Shift”, covers the status of CE implementation in India in
2018. It presents the idea that 500 billion dollars’ worth of economic value can be
derived through certain factors that can accelerate the adoption of CE practices in
India, such as better awareness, disruptive technology, policy changes, innovative
funding models, and collaborative efforts. It offers another definition of the CE
concept, along with descriptions of CE business models such as a Circular Supply
Chain, Recovery & Recycling, Product Life Extension, Sharing Platforms, and the
Product-as-service model. It provides a comparison between existing business
methods and circular methods by highlighting the risk of avoidable economic losses
that accompany “business-as-usual” growth strategies. This publication then goes
into great detail about possible CE models in various sectors, viz. metals & mining,
electronics & technology, and agriculture, food & beverages. It is a detailed
description of the kind of action already taking place in India, along with compiled
industry knowledge on how to establish and implement CE practices across sectors,
and details on various enablers of CE implementation. This publication exhibits the
solid interest shown by various actors – industrial and governmental – in
conceptualizing and implementing CE principles in India, and shows a desire to
promote knowledge sharing and co-operation among Indian companies, with an aim
to work towards a common goal. While this publication also shares in the ideas of
the publications from Germany and the Netherlands, it, too, repeats the disregard for
the consumer that seems rampant across publications on the topic.
A review of existing literature helped us understand the commonly agreed-upon
barrier types, which are detailed below.

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1. Lack of Awareness
There is a basic lack of understanding of the concept of CE among all actors
involved. Academia presents one understanding on CE, while practitioners
present another understanding, and governments attempt to coagulate these
varying descriptions of the concept to formulate policy. There is little research on
whether the consumer is even aware of the CE concept, and to what degree.
This lack of understanding contributes to all other problems that arise, including
attitude problems, financing problems, acceptance and adoption problems among
various actors, and operational problems that face implementation of CE
concepts. This may seem to be the most critical barrier to overcome before
addressing any of the other barriers – unless people know what CE is, they
cannot accept, adopt, finance, implement, or benefit from it.
2. Systemic Difficulties
Those trying to implement circular models in existing linear systems face a series
of issues in adapting their new models to fit existing ones. This gives rise to a
series of problems, such as negative perceptions or adverse attitudes regarding
the concept, and financing barriers due to an unclear value proposition or
indication of returns. Further, since CE is a holistic concept, and needs
implementation at various levels of industry and governance, it is difficult for
individual initiators within organizations to drive a transition towards CE practices
without the need to influence larger systems, which is a difficult, expansive, and
expensive exercise. Also, entire supply chains of materials will have to be altered
to adhere to CE principles, which would need to introduce drastic changes in

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international export markets and could have global implications that cannot be
measured or corrected, given the current structures of economic measurement
3. Financing Challenges
Most economic measurements depend on linear throughput, where one variable
acts as the input, and another as the output. Since the CE concept does not
follow this format of measurement, current financial products cannot effectively
measure the output of CE business models. Since output is difficult to measure,
there are no CE models with proven track records or success stories, making it
even more difficult for CE entrepreneurs to obtain funding for their endeavours.
Additionally, due to a lack of large scale efforts towards CE implementation,
economies of scale cannot be achieved in CE production models, leading to high
costs of production. This is an immediate deterrent for consumers to drive
demand for products of CE business models. The multi-faceted financial barriers
facing CE implementation are usually stressed upon by most literature as a result
of lack of awareness and knowledge sharing.
4. Attitude Problems
Due to the perception that CE is a “new” and “underdeveloped” concept, and that
there is no obvious short term gain from implementing CE practices, there is a
great barrier of negative attitudes towards the idea. Corporates can dismiss the
idea as a trend or catchphrase, and consumers cannot see the value in paying
more for a product that brings them no immediate benefit. This is compounded by
the fact that there are multiple conceptions of CE, leading to debate and
confusion even among practitioners, academics, and policy makers who are

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attempting to popularize or drive the CE concept into mainstream acceptance.
There would also be a need for mass collaboration and large-scale knowledge
sharing among companies and industries if by-products from one are to become
raw materials for another, which is hard to establish in a capitalist environment
where information secrecy is key to maintaining a competitive edge in the market.
5. Lack of Technology
Despite efforts to drive CE concepts in production and waste management, the
technology of the times prevents successful implementation because of a lack of
technological development aimed at facilitating CE practices. As long as
technology continues to be built around driving linear throughput, which is most
economically viable at the moment, there is no incentive for engineers and
designers to invest time and money in exploring technology that may limit waste
and wastage and better accommodate cyclic flow of materials. Moreover, since
there is limited investment in CE models and technology as compared to that in
existing industrial systems, technological development of the CE concept does
not attract the kind of innovative talent required to drive significant change in well-
established sectors.
6. Regulatory Hindrance
Owing the all the above factors, policy makers are not well equipped to access
the CE concept, and the necessary regulatory frameworks that could possibly
drive CE adoption among industry actors and consumers stands yet to be
devised. As is with any imperative social and economic change that needs to be
driven at a large scale, CE practices need to be incentivized and encouraged by

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laws that focus on achieving sustainable development goals. Despite several
governments and governmental unions and groups adopting well-charted plans
of action towards implementing CE laws, the efforts remain scattered, and there
is a lack of cooperation among governments to influence trade networks around
the world and regulate material flows across borders. The imminent acute
resource shortage has the potential to catalyze a swifter move towards
formulation of effective CE policy frameworks and regulations, but the current
state of affairs cannot accommodate the macro-systemic change that would be
required to establish a successful circular economy.
The concept of a circular economy is a complex idea involving various conceptual
frameworks and actors. Some of the actors involved, such as industrial actors and
governmental actors, seem to be facing common problems such as lack of
awareness about the CE concept. Besides identifying commonly encountered
barriers, there exists an apparent trend among the research methods in existing
literature to not engage with one important piece in the economic system – the
consumer. There is a stark lack of interaction with and information or opinions
gathered from consumers, which could be observed as a shortcoming of many of the
papers I reviewed. Since the flow of materials and resources involves a vast number
of consumers, it is imperative that a sample of the consumer population contribute to
the discourse on CE, as any demand for end products generated by any business
model will be dictated by consumer needs and habits. This may be considered a gap
in existing research, and this research will attempt to fill this gap by introducing
inputs from consumers. It may be noted here that academics, practitioners, and
policy makers who are driving CE initiatives are facing similar barriers in practical

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implementation, and these problems are likely to affect the consumer in various
ways.
It could be beneficial to the CE discourse to gauge degrees of awareness,
expectation, attitude, and responsibility among consumers with respect to the CE
concept. This research project will attempt to gain some insight into the consumer’s
perspective on the CE concept and how that may have an impact upon the ongoing
conceptualization of CE and development of CE businesses such as Homebox
Express.
Quantitative Research Design
To gauge consumer perspectives around mismanaged waste and sustainable
lifestyles, it was necessary to structure the study in a way that certain parameters be
studied on relevant scales of measurement. These are detailed below:
1. Awareness: Low to High (0-5 scale)
We want to know people’s level of awareness around issues of plastic and
mismanaged waste. Hence, the survey asked people if they knew a few facts
about plastic. For every fact that a user knows, the user gets one point,
adding up to a total of 5. The more facts they know, they higher their
awareness score.
2. Involvement: Low to High (1-20 scale)

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We want to know people’s involvement in sustainable activities - whether they
segregate, if they’ve changed any habits, if they volunteer towards such
activities. The number of actions they’ve taken and their degree of
involvement in each action adds up to a score of a maximum of 20.
3. Involvement Experience
Ease of Involvement: Low to High (1-15 scale)
Emotional Experience of Involvement: Low to High (1-15 scale)
Depending on how many actions people took, they got questions asking them
how easy or difficult the experience was, and how they felt about it. Each
question was on a scale of 1-5, with 3 questions adding up to a maximum of
15 in both cases.
4. Factors when trying sustainable products/services: Few to Many (1-11 scale)
Whether people have tried sustainable products/services or not, we want to
know the factors that would matter to consumers while picking such products
or services. We presented people with a list of keywords (derived from ground
contact with consumers at large as well as secondary data) and asked them
to select the words that mattered.
Qualifiers

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Since the goal of the study is, beyond understanding the consumer, to drive adoption
of Homebox Express as a service, sets of consumers need to be identified as target
groups that can be specifically targeted with precise communication that appeals to
them based on their own expectations and experiences. The qualifiers for identifying
the target groups are detailed below:
Scales
Type
Awareness
(Low-High)
Involvement
(Low-High)
Involvement Experience
(Negative-Positive))
Usage Factors
(Few-Many)
Qualifiers
1.1 High High Positive Few
1.2 Med-Low High Positive Few
2.1 High Med-Low Positive Many
2.2 High Med-Low Med-Negative Many
3.1 Med-Low High-Med Positive Few
3.2 Med-Low High-Med Positive Many
Target consumer groups described:
1.1. Consumers with high awareness around mismanaged waste, high
involvement in sustainability and CE related activities with a positive
experience of such involvement, and have relatively fewer factors that affect
their decision-making process while selecting a sustainable product/service.
1.2. Consumers with relatively lower awareness around mismanaged waste, high
involvement in sustainability and CE related activities with a positive
experience of such involvement, and have relatively fewer factors that affect
their decision-making process while selecting a sustainable product/service.

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2.1. Consumers with high awareness around mismanaged waste, relatively lower
involvement in sustainability and CE related activities with a relatively
negative experience of such involvement, and have relatively more factors
that affect their decision-making process while selecting a sustainable
product/service.
2.2. Consumers with high awareness around mismanaged waste, relatively lower
involvement in sustainability and CE related activities with a positive
experience of such involvement, and have relatively more factors that affect
their decision-making process while selecting a sustainable product/service.
3.1. Consumers with relatively lower awareness around mismanaged waste, are
on the higher side of involvement in sustainability and CE related activities
with a positive experience of such involvement, and have relatively fewer
factors that affect their decision-making process while selecting a sustainable
product/service.
3.2. Consumers with relatively lower awareness around mismanaged waste, are
on the higher side of involvement in sustainability and CE related activities
with a positive experience of such involvement, and have relatively more
factors that affect their decision-making process while selecting a sustainable
product/service.
These consumer segments have been selected to target specific marketing
communication at them with the aim of converting them to Homebox Express
customers.

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The survey conducted through a chatbot interface and the question were written in a
user-friendly, narrative style. Respondents were presented with the following
questions:
1. Awareness Scale Question
1.1. In the past 50 years, we’ve produced over 8 billion tons of plastic. That’s
as much plastic as the weight of 1 billion elephants. And only 9% of all this
plastic has ever been recycled. The rest has all been dumped or burned.
Did you know that? [a] I know this [b] I did not know this
1.2. Ok, and did you know that most of our plastic waste comes from
packaging, and the plastic bags and bottles that we throw away take up to
1,000 years to decompose? This means that if Akbar and Birbal had any
plastic trash to throw away, we would still be dealing with their trash. And
our great-great-great-great grandchildren will be dealing with our plastic
trash in the year 3020. [a] I know this [b] I did not know this
1.3. In fact, plastic pollution is a major contributor towards climate change and
global warming, since it comes from fossil fuels and is not biodegradable.
And global warming is hurting the GDP and economies of developing
countries like India - over the past 50 years, India’s economy has shrunk
by 31% because of climate change. Did you know that? [a] I know this [b] I
did not know this
1.4. That's not all. Plastic trash isn’t just an abstract problem that’s far away
from us. It’s affecting our day-to-day lives in many ways too. Did you know
that landfills in cities regularly catch fire, and we all breathe the smoke
coming from plastic trash for days at end? Did you know that? [a] I know
this [b] I did not know this

26. 26
1.5. We're not just breathing plastic smoke. Here's another fact: We’re all
eating 70,000 pieces of plastic every year. That’s right - you and everyone
you know is eating tiny pieces of plastic in the food that we eat every day.
Did you know that? [a] I know this [b] I did not know this
2. Involvement Scale Questions
2.1. First off, do you segregate your dry and wet waste at home? [a] Always [b]
Most of the time [c] Sometimes [d] Rarely [e] Never
It is easy or difficult to segregate your waste at home? 1-5 scale where 1 is
easy and 5 is difficult
How do you feel about segregating your waste? 1-5 scale where 1 is a
negative experience and 5 is a positive experience
2.2. Ok, and have you tried changing any other habits to reduce or manage
plastic waste? [a] Not tried yet [b] Tried but didn’t succeed [c] Changed a
few habits [d] Changed many habits [e] I live a zero-waste life

27. 27
Was it easy or difficult to change old habits? 1-5 scale where 1 is easy and
5 is difficult
How did this change make you feel? 1-5 scale where 1 is a negative
experience and 5 is a positive experience
2.3. Alright, and do you volunteer for clean-up drives (like a street or beach
clean-up organized by an NGO)? Or do you ever just go to the beach or
the street and clean up some trash on your own? [a] Regularly [b] Most of
the time [c] Sometimes [d] Rarely [e] Never
It is easy or difficult to take out time and volunteer? 1-5 scale where 1 is
easy and 5 is difficult
How do you feel when you volunteer to pick up trash? 1-5 scale where 1 is
a negative experience and 5 is a positive experience
2.4. Ok, and do you use any eco-friendly products or services (like chemical-
free cosmetics or plastic-free food delivery)? [a] Always [b] Most of the
time [c] Sometimes [d] Rarely [e] Never

28. 28
3. Question about factors when trying sustainable products/services
When you’re looking for eco-friendly product or services, what matters to you
the most? (select as many as you like)
- Convenience, Price, Variety, Easy Availability, Familiar Brand, Ease of
use, Familiar Product, Online Reviews, Friend’s Recommendations,
Novelty, Trustworthiness
These scale questions were followed by questions that were intended to gauge the
respondents’ other interests as well as their demographic information.

29. 29
Research Outcome & Discussion
The data collected through the survey was processed through the following steps:

30. 30
1. Raw data was converted to binary variables
2. Responses to multi-question scales were added up
3. The data was analyzed using software tools
This study revealed that various assumptions regarding consumer perspective,
which were the drivers of previous marketing campaigns, could be incorrect. This
study helped form a consumer landscape and relate demographic factors to
psychographic factors.
Respondent Demographic Landscape
Gender: 56% male and 44% female
Age: 25-34 years (52%), 35-44 years (28%), 45-54 years (11%), 55-64 years (9%)
Education: Bachelor’s degree (35%), Master’s degree (57%), PhD or higher (4%),
None of these (~4%)
Marital Status: Married (61%), Single (35%), Separated (4%), Rather not say (4%)
Number of children (among non-single respondents): No children (41%), 1 child
(31%), 2 children (27%), More than 2 children (1%)

31. 31

32. 32
Interests and Preferences
The respondents had nearly 3 times as many Android phone users as compared to
iPhone users. This indicates a non-premium device and brand preference, further
suggesting an economic stratum that may be largely unwilling to spend on luxury
items such as an iPhone and prefer functional items such as Android phones. This is
an assumption that needs to be tested in further studies and qualitative research.
Similarly, there were nearly twice as many Windows computer users as compared to
Apple computer users, possibly indicating that most of the respondents have
mainstream professions that do not require specialized computers and prefer
practical devices over brand value. This could further indicate economic stratum, a
factor that needs to be studied in subsequent qualitative studies.
As for interests, most respondents seem to consume a lot of online media as
opposed to traditional television and have a higher affinity to cultural and artistic
content than sports, politics, or religion. This is an interesting point that needs further
study, but already helps streamline keyword-driven marketing campaigns by
identifying the low-interest areas for the target consumer segments.
One interesting observation was made when matching awareness levels to interests
was that the levels of awareness and the spread of interest mostly have to
correlation or causality, except that those with higher awareness indicate more
interest in meditation, spirituality, politics, social work, and even in fashion and
photography. Conversely, those with lower levels of awareness are more interested
in travel, art, culture, fitness, and gadgets.

33. 33
146
143
122
122
119
116
113
104
103
89
86
83
80
79
77
75
72
66
60
55
52
43
41
34
32
0 20 40 60 80 100 120 140 160
Domestic Travel
Netflix
Indian Movies
International Travel
Indian Music
Culture
Western Movies
Art
Western Music
Yoga
Photography
Spirituality
Politics
Gadgets
Meditation
Gym
TV
Running
Fashion
Cricket
Swimming
Social Work
Cycling
Religion
Football

34. 34
0
7.6%
7.6%
1.5%
3.0%
0.8%
7.6%
5.3%
3.0%
1.5%
0.0%
0.8%
4.5%
4.5%
3.0%
2.3%
2.3%
0.8%
3.8%
3.8%
5.3%
4.5%
2.3%
1.5%
6.1%
6.1%
3.8%
6.8%
1
5.6%
8.1%
4.3%
3.8%
0.4%
5.1%
5.1%
4.3%
2.6%
0.4%
0.4%
3.8%
3.4%
0.9%
3.8%
1.3%
1.3%
2.1%
5.6%
5.1%
6.4%
1.7%
0.4%
4.7%
7.7%
3.4%
8.1%
2
5.5%
6.1%
3.6%
4.2%
2.1%
5.5%
5.3%
3.4%
2.8%
0.8%
1.1%
4.7%
3.6%
2.1%
3.8%
1.5%
2.3%
3.8%
3.0%
5.9%
5.1%
2.8%
1.5%
5.1%
4.7%
2.7%
6.8%
3
6.1%
7.4%
3.9%
3.6%
1.1%
4.4%
4.2%
4.5%
2.9%
0.3%
0.6%
3.7%
4.0%
3.4%
2.4%
2.1%
1.6%
3.2%
4.4%
5.7%
4.4%
2.9%
2.1%
5.7%
6.0%
3.4%
5.8%
4
5.2%
6.4%
2.9%
3.3%
2.9%
5.7%
4.8%
4.0%
2.9%
0.5%
0.2%
4.8%
2.9%
2.4%
3.1%
2.6%
2.4%
4.3%
2.9%
5.5%
4.8%
2.4%
1.4%
5.2%
5.5%
4.3%
6.9%
5
4.9%
5.9%
4.9%
5.9%
1.0%
6.9%
5.4%
4.4%
3.4%
0.0%
0.5%
2.9%
2.5%
2.0%
2.9%
1.5%
3.4%
5.9%
2.9%
5.4%
3.9%
2.5%
1.0%
4.9%
5.4%
2.9%
6.9%
Awareness
#International Travel
#Domestic Travel
#Meditation
#Spirituality
#Religion
#Culture
#Art
#Photography
#Fashion
#Pilates
#Calisthenics
#Yoga
#Gym
#Swimming
#Running
#Cycling
#Social Work
#Politics
#Gadgets
#Indian Music
#Wester Music
#Cricket
#Football
#Western Movies
#Indian Movies
#TV
#Netflix

35. 35
Age and Gender with respect to Awareness
It was observed that awareness generally increases with age, and women are on
average more aware of these issues than men. Another observation was that people
with children seem to have a generally higher awareness across age groups, but this
point needs deeper analysis though qualitative study.
Action/Involvement with respect to other factors
The starkest observation that arose was that irrespective of most other factors, the
level of involvement or action reported by respondents remained in a similar range.
While age and gender affect involvement, other factors do not seem to have a
2.71
2.54
2.66
2.73
3.06
2.83
3.33
2.82
0.00
0.50
1.00
1.50
2.00
2.50
3.00
3.50
Female Male
25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years

36. 36
noticeable effect. In other words, the level of awareness, education, age, marital
status, children did not drastically affect a person’s involvement in sustainable
activities. This is in strong contrast to various international studies and indicates that
there are other local factors with heavier bearing that influence the Indian
consumer’s level of involvement in sustainable activities, besides their demographic
profile and level of awareness about the problem.
Of the demographic factors that do tend to affect involvement, gender and age seem
to be the two most affective factors towards a person’s level of involvement, the
difficulty they face in their involvement, and the emotional payoff they experience.
0-4, 1
5-9, 16
10-14, 134
15-20, 42
0
20
40
60
80
100
120
140
160
0-4 5-9 10-14 15-20
Range of involvement

37. 37
While women seem more involved on average across age groups, middle aged men
stand out as more involved in sustainable activities than their younger, older, or
female counterparts, which could also be because they seem to experience the least
amount of difficulty in getting involved – as opposed to women, who find it more and
more difficult to get involved with growing age.
12.32 12.29
13.25
11.91
13.81
15.50
13.67
12.09
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
16.00
18.00
Female Male
25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years
6.71 6.676.47 6.646.81
5.17
7.50
5.73
0.00
1.00
2.00
3.00
4.00
5.00
6.00
7.00
8.00
Female Male
25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years

38. 38
Yet, the positive emotional payoff is higher for older women who find it more difficult
to get involved as compared to younger women. Conversely, middle-aged men, who
face least difficulty in getting involved in sustainable activities seem to derive the
highest emotional satisfaction from their involvement. This warrants a qualitative
enquiry into whether there is a correlation between difficulty and emotional
satisfaction, and how it is affected by gender.
Factors that matter while choosing sustainable products/services
Nearly 39% of respondents indicated that they used sustainable products or services
sometimes. While certain key factors that the factors that contribute to their selection
of these products/services remain similar across age, gender, level of awareness,
and levels of action/involvement, secondary factors are differently affected by these
parameters.
10.26
9.81
11.00
9.64
11.81 12.1712.17
10.09
0.00
2.00
4.00
6.00
8.00
10.00
12.00
14.00
Female Male
25-34 years 35-44 years 45-54 years 55-64 years

39. 39
Factors that matter while choosing a sustainable product or service: split by age
range and gender
Each respondent indicated the factors that matter to them while making a decision
on which product/service to use when it comes to choosing a sustainable product or
service. This was a multiple-selection question that allowed respondents to choose
as many of the available options as possible.
We observed that across age groups and genders, there are certain common factors
that matter to everyone, though to varying degrees, depending on age and gender.
Besides that, age and gender differences show a considerable variation in how these
factors matter relative to one another to various demographic groups.
While convenience, price, easy availability, ease of use, and trustworthiness
mattered to everyone, they mattered to different degrees for different people.
Among the 25-34 year-old age group, convenience matters far more to men than to
women, when compared to other factors. Conversely, women in this age group care
a lot more for online reviews than do men. For women, price matters more than
convenience, but for men, convenience matters more than price. Women want a
more familiar product, but still desire more novelty than men.
In the 35-44 year-old age group, price above convenience is common to both
genders. For both genders in this age group, friends’ recommendations hold greater
influence than online reviews, while novelty is a near-non-issue for this group. Ease
availability matter more than ease of use for women, but for men, both these factors
hold equal weight.
While there weren’t enough respondents in a higher age range to derive precise
observations, it is seen than convenience, price, and easy availability are top factors.

40. 40
25-34-year-old Women 25-34-year-old Men
35-44-year-old Women 35-44-year-old Men
45-54-year-old Women 45-54-year-old Men
18
21
8
23
10
16
8
16
6
4
21
0
5
10
15
20
25
48
43
16
48
24
30
14
10
14
4
44
0
10
20
30
40
50
60
20
22
9
24
10
18
6
10 11
2
22
0
5
10
15
20
25
30
17
18
3
17
6
17
4
5
10
0
14
0
5
10
15
20
10
12
3
14
3
9
3
2
8
1
13
0
2
4
6
8
10
12
14
16 4 4
3
4
1
2
0 0 0 0
3
0
0.5
1
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5

41. 41
55-64-year-old Women 55-64-year-old Men
Conclusion and Recommendations
The aim of this study was to understand consumer perceptions with the goal of
leveraging this understanding to streamline marketing messaging for Homebox
Express. Based on literature review and the above survey, several observations
have emerged, many of them overriding previous anecdotal observations and hence,
the marketing strategies based on these anecdotes. Based on the survey results, the
original framework of qualifiers for target groups is also nullified, since the causality
between awareness and action/involvement has been nearly nullified. Additionally,
the number of factors that matter to most people across all respondents are few and
common, while secondary factors all hold much lower sway on purchase decisions.
Hence, the basic goal of identifying 3 sets of target groups - through scale qualifiers
along various questions - that this study had initially set out as a goal, was nullified
because the assumed correlations between awareness, involvement, experience,
and factors affecting usage/purchase are invalid, and demographic factors seem to
affect purchase decisions far more than any of the earlier listed factors. These
observations and their implications are discussed over the following paragraphs.
2 2
0
4
0
2
0 0 0 0
6
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
5
1
6
2
6
2 2
4
0
7
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9

42. 42
Major Observations
1. Awareness of issues arising out of mismanaged waste does not affect
involvement in managing waste in any way. This is contrary to the working
assumption which was the basis of marketing the brand before this study was
conducted.
2. Age and gender are factors that affect the consumer’s mindset towards
mismanaged waste and sustainability far more than awareness of or
involvement in waste-related problems and social action.
3. Interests and preferences are better identifiers of potential customers for
Homebox Express than are awareness and involvement.
4. A qualitative study of each of the above factors needs to be undertaken to
better determine causality, correlation, and dependencies between
demographic and psychographic factors.
Insights
Homebox Express, as a business, has faced several problems during its launch and
initial growth phase mainly because people do not seem to care about the public
good at large. Especially among younger people, the concept of thinking beyond self
does now seem to materialize into action, despite a large wave of “woke” ideology
exhibited in online posts and discussions. This is due to the fact that day-to-day
living is so time consuming and arduous for younger people in the 21dt century, that
the opportunity to think about and act on issues relating to the environment is largely

43. 43
a luxury. If one cannot meet their basic needs of survival and security, one cannot be
expected to perform any actions towards larger public good. Which is why a slightly
older consumer segments seems more inclined to work towards such causes,
despite lower awareness or surrounding issues. Even then, action is often lacking,
since the effort involved is far higher than the perceived pay-off.
It could be argued that people need a greater incentive to act on matters concerning
the environment, and a more personal incentive may attract more customers to
businesses formed around sustainability and circular economy. And as times grow
tougher for most people in today’s times of pandemic-related socio-economic crises,
finding the right kind of incentive for people to think beyond themselves and act on
environmental issues could possibly mean asking too much of the average
consumer.
Way Forward
The first step forward would be to setup personal interviews with representatives of
each demographic segment, so as to better understand their perspectives which
they’ve fleetingly touched upon in the survey. Developing a better understanding of
the why and how behind the observations made in this study will lead to a richer
outlook on consumer perspectives.
The next step would be to streamline marketing communication based on interests
and demographic profiles, and to reduce reliance on awareness-based campaigns
aimed at target groups segregated by level of involvement in sustainable activities.

44. 44
Creating distinct messaging pegs, campaign plans, and landing pages for each
group would be a simple step in this direction.
A third step needs to be taken to measure the effectiveness of the above steps, in
the form of tracking how various target groups respond to their customized
campaigns. Analytics on all touch-points are necessary to gain insights into how well
consumers are responding to our messaging. The events that need to be tracked
need to be derived from the above observations, and reliance on generic metrics
such as bounce rate and pages per visit needs to be reduced.
Leveraging the Covid-19 pandemic
As an after-thought, it might be worth considering repackaging the Homebox
Express value offering to accommodate more personal concerns along with
environmental concerns.
One step to consider in this regard is to go beyond “zero-plastic” as an incentive, and
to offer a sanitised version of the Homebox, where the delivery person is assured
Covid-free, and the box and its contents are sanitised right before the user. This
would encourage the consumer to choose this service, for it is a service that clearly
offers the safety of sanitization and virus-free delivery, along with the assurance of a
zero-waste service.
In effect, Homebox Express needs to go from being just “plastic-free” to being
“Covid-free and plastic-free” as a service. This is the very next step that we shall
take, after lockdown relaxations are implemented and services can restart.

45. 45
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