Browsing by Person "Herbes, Carsten"

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Bioplastics for food packaging: Environmental impact, trends and regulatory aspects
(2022) Cruz, Rui M. S.; Krauter, Victoria; Krauter, Simon; Agriopoulou, Sofia; Weinrich, Ramona; Herbes, Carsten; Scholten, Philip B. V.; Uysal-Unalan, Ilke; Sogut, Ece; Kopacic, Samir; Lahti, Johanna; Rutkaite, Ramune; Varzakas, Theodoros
The demand to develop and produce eco-friendly alternatives for food packaging is increasing. The huge negative impact that the disposal of so-called “single-use plastics” has on the environment is propelling the market to search for new solutions, and requires initiatives to drive faster responses from the scientific community, the industry, and governmental bodies for the adoption and implementation of new materials. Bioplastics are an alternative group of materials that are partly or entirely produced from renewable sources. Some bioplastics are biodegradable or even compostable under the right conditions. This review presents the different properties of these materials, mechanisms of biodegradation, and their environmental impact, but also presents a holistic overview of the most important bioplastics available in the market and their potential application for food packaging, consumer perception of the bioplastics, regulatory aspects, and future challenges.
Company views of consumers regarding sustainable packaging
(2024) Herbes, Carsten; Mielinger, Ellen; Krauter, Victoria; Arranz, Elena; Hurtado, Rosa María Cámara; Marcos, Begonya; Poças, Fátima; de Maya, Salvador Ruiz
In the transition towards more sustainable food packaging, food companies play a key role: they decide what type of packaging to use in their production. Past research posits that corporate decision making on sustainable packaging is driven by perceived consumer demand, making it important to understand how companies see consumers, a topic largely neglected in the literature. Our study aims at uncovering how food packaging professionals see consumer demand for sustainable packaging. We performed qualitative interviews with packaging professionals from food companies in Germany, Austria, Spain, and Portugal; we then performed qualitative content analysis on the responses. The results show that half of our interviewees think that sustainability in packaging does not matter to consumers. Further, pertaining to the packaging life cycle, packaging professionals believe that consumers pay more attention to attributes related to raw materials, i.e. the beginning of the packaging life cycle, preferring paper and rejecting plastics. Interviewees demonstrate scant awareness of consumer research which shows that bio-based materials, biodegradability and recycled materials matter to consumers. Our interviewees frequently criticized consumers, presenting what we identify as narratives of disempowerment whereby responsibility for sustainable packaging is not theirs. First, they perceive consumers as an obstacle. Second, they describe their own position as not very powerful vis-à-vis packaging manufacturers and retailers. And third, they are often unsure about consumer attitudes, knowledge or behavior. This assignment of responsibility for packaging decisions to retailers and consumers emerges as a strong barrier to the expansion of sustainable packaging. Analyzing the perceptions that companies have of consumers may help in better aligning consumer attitudes and behaviors and company strategies for sustainable packaging.
The role of biodiversity in consumer research on food : a review and research agenda
(2025) Schneider, Deborah; Osieja, Sanja; Herbes, Carsten; Weinrich, Ramona
The move towards sustainable consumption has drawn significant attention from scholars and practitioners alike. Biodiversity is an integral part of environmental sustainability and food security, but it has received little attention in consumer research. Findings are fragmented into how biodiversity as a product attribute affects consumer food choices. Thus, we conducted a systematic literature review on consumer research on biodiversity in the context of food choice. We reviewed 45 papers published between 2014 and March 2025. Our analysis was guided by the TCCM (Theories, Contexts, Characteristics, and Methodology) framework for developing a systematic literature review. We examined how biodiversity was conceptualized and defined within the studies and towards study participants. Our findings show that biodiversity as a product attribute generally has positive effects on consumer attitude, willingness to pay, and product choice. However, knowledge about biodiversity and the inherent trade-offs in product choices remains limited, so consumers cannot realistically factor biodiversity into their decision-making. We find that research has taken a narrow view of biodiversity, qualitative studies are rare, and few efforts have been made to build theoretical perspectives from empirical data. We conclude with a proposed agenda for future research and a tentative definition of biodiversity for social science.