Department of Economics, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Environment for Development, University of Gothenburg, Sweden.
Sci Total Environ. 2024 Oct 15;947:174774. doi: 10.1016/j.scitotenv.2024.174774. Epub 2024 Jul 14.
Exposure to hazardous chemicals in consumer products poses significant risks to personal health and the environment, and the combined effects may be negative even if each individual exposure is low. This necessitates informed and effective policies for risk reduction. This systematic review aims to identify and analyse existing evidence on how consumer preferences, product use, and product disposal are affected by information on harmful chemicals in consumer products and by price interventions. The review is conducted according to the PRISMA 2020 guidelines, synthesises forty-eight scientific articles on the relationship between information and consumer responses. No corresponding studies on the effects of price interventions were found. A large share of the identified articles focused on household chemicals, where warning labels are common, while less has been published on "everyday products" where the presence of hazardous chemicals is less clear to consumers. Effects of information on hazardous chemicals on consumer behaviour are highly contextual and dependent on the type of product, consumer behaviour and what kind of label is used. Warning symbols are effective in communicating a general warning of a potential danger, although consumers often misinterpret specifics regarding the exact nature of that danger or what means should be taken to minimise it. Informational texts are more informative but are also often missed or quickly forgotten. Consumer willingness to pay for safer products is generally positive but low. Additional research on how consumers react to information and price signals on chemical hazards is needed to improve policy design.
消费产品中危险化学品的暴露对个人健康和环境构成重大风险，即使每个单独的暴露量较低，其综合影响也可能是负面的。这就需要制定明智有效的风险降低政策。本系统评价旨在确定和分析现有证据，说明消费产品中有害化学物质信息以及价格干预措施如何影响消费者偏好、产品使用和产品处置。本评价按照 PRISMA 2020 指南进行，综合了 48 篇关于信息与消费者反应之间关系的科学文章。没有发现关于价格干预措施影响的相应研究。已确定的文章中有很大一部分集中在家庭化学品上，这些化学品通常有警告标签，而关于消费者不太清楚危险化学品存在的“日常用品”，则发表的文章较少。关于危险化学品对消费者行为影响的信息具有很强的情境依赖性，取决于产品类型、消费者行为以及使用何种标签。警告符号在传达潜在危险的一般性警告方面非常有效，尽管消费者经常误解关于该危险的确切性质或应采取何种措施将其最小化的具体信息。信息文本更具信息量，但也经常被忽略或很快被遗忘。消费者对更安全产品的支付意愿通常是积极的，但意愿较低。需要进一步研究消费者对化学危害的信息和价格信号的反应，以改进政策设计。
