Artikkelit

Harju, C., & Lähtinen, K. (2022). Consumers’ Consciousness for Sustainable Consumption and Their Perceptions of Wooden Building Product Quality.

,
Julkaisun nimiConsumers’ Consciousness for Sustainable Consumption and Their Perceptions of Wooden Building Product Quality
KirjoittajatCharlotta Harju, Katja Lähtinen
JulkaisijaForest Products Journal
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.13073/FPJ-D-22-00014
Julkaisupäivä11.7.2022
Lue julkaisu täältä.
Read publication here.

Abstract

Wood products are seen globally as an important solution to substitute nonrenewable materials in the construction sector to enhance the life cycle sustainability of buildings. Globally, the most prominent opportunities for sustainability change in housing production lie in multistory residential buildings, which are built mainly of concrete, steel, and bricks. The possibilities of achieving multiple benefits from the use of wood in multistory residential buildings have gained interest among scholars, especially in the 2000s. However, the research has been dominated by views of production (especially construction processes), while scientific knowledge of consumption (especially the occupational phase of buildings) remains very limited. Information about how consumers with differing views of sustainable consumption evaluate the quality of wooden building materials particularly is scarce. This study aimed to investigate consumer perceptions of wooden building product quality and examine how the perceptions connect with consumers’ consciousness for sustainable consumption (CSC). The research data were gathered in 2018 by a postal survey sent to 1,000 people living in Finland (response rate 25.6%) and analyzed with exploratory factor analysis and the Mann-Whitney U test. According to the results, respondents’ views of wooden building product quality indicators can be grouped into three factors: technical advantages, environmental sustainability of materials, and social benefits at home. The strength of CSC was found to be linked with respondents’ views of wooden building product quality. The results of consumers’ CSC views help actors involved in the wood and construction industries better meet consumer expectations both for different aspects of sustainability and for lifestyles.

/by

Harju C., Lähtinen K. (2021). Perceptions of wooden interior product quality – insights on sustainability views among Finnish consumers.

,
Julkaisun nimiPerceptions of wooden interior product quality – insights on sustainability views among Finnish consumers
KirjoittajatCharlotta Harju, Katja Lähtinen
JulkaisijaSilva Fennica
ISBN/DOIhttps://doi.org/10.14214/sf.10605
Julkaisupäivä21.12.2021
Lue julkaisu täältä.
Read publication here.

Tiivistelmä

Toistaiseksi on ollut hyvin niukasti tietoa siitä, miten kuluttajat arvostavat puutuotteiden laatuominaisuuksia ja mikä on erilaisten kestävyysnäkökulmien rooli tuotteen laadun arvioimisessa. Tämä tutkimus tuo lisää tietoa suomalaisten kuluttajien näkemyksistä liittyen puisten sisustustuotteiden laatuominaisuuksiin sekä niiden suhteesta ekologiseen, sosiaaliseen ja taloudelliseen kestävyyteen. Lisäksi tutkimuksessa mitataan kuluttajien sosiodemografisen taustan yhteyttä eri laatuominaisuuksien arvostamiseen. Tulosten perusteella kuluttajien laatuominaisuuksiin liittyvät näkemykset voidaan jakaa neljään teemaan: ympäristöystävällisyyteen, sopivuuteen elämäntavan ja sisustuksen kanssa, tuotteiden visuaaliseen ja pintaominaisuuksien miellyttävyyteen sekä tekniseen laatuun, jotka liittyvät monin tavoin eri kestävyysnäkökulmiin. Lisäksi kuluttajien tausta ja tietopohja ovat yhteydessä siihen, miten kuluttajat arvioivat puutuotteen laatuun ja vastuullisuuteen liittyviä ominaisuuksia.

Abstract

Evaluation of product attributes and the overall quality significantly affect consumer purchasing decisions. Previous studies on wooden products have mostly addressed wood product quality from technical viewpoints, while largely disregarding environmental, social, and economic aspects in the assessments. Therefore, knowledge on how sustainability aspects are evaluated as a feature of wood product quality is narrow. This study investigated consumer perceptions of different quality indicators (i.e., quality cues and attributes) of wooden interior products with a special focus on sustainability and value chain phases. In addition, the connections between consumers’ sociodemographic background and their perceptions of the quality features of wooden interior products were evaluated. The material of the study was based on data gathered in 2018 with a postal survey sent to 1000 people living in Finland with a response rate of 25.6%. As methods of analysis, exploratory factor analysis, the Mann-Whitney U test, and the Kruskall-Wallis test were utilized. The results show that the quality indicators of wooden interior products can be grouped into four factors relating to products’ environmental friendliness, fit with lifestyle and home design, visual and tactile attractiveness, and technical solidity, which are in multiple ways connected with sustainability. The sociodemographic background of the respondents was found to be linked with consumer scores for those factors. Engaging consumers in sustainable consumption choices requires providing them with information on wooden product value chains that meets their individual needs in relation to their existing knowledge of those issues and individual values.

/by