earticle

영어

With the increase in online shopping and delivery food consumption since the pandemic, solving environmental problems caused by single-use packaging has become an important issue. ‘Upcycling’ is a combination of ‘Upgrade’ and ‘Recycle’, and it is the rebirth of obsolete or discarded objects by adding new value to them, and there are currently various upcycled products on the market. In order to activate upcycling, consumers’ awareness of the environment and their values for consumption are very important. This study aims to investigate the influence of students’ environmental concern, environmental experience, and consumption value on their purchase intention of upcycled products. Based on the results of previous studies on environmental concern, environmental experience, and consumption value, hypotheses were set, and a survey was conducted among university students nationwide to test the hypotheses. The results of this study are as follows First, environmental concern has a significant positive effect on purchase intention of upcycled products. It can be seen that the more environmental concerns such as global warming and waste disposal problems increase, the more positive attitudes toward upcycled products increase. Second, the research hypothesis that environmental knowledge will have a positive effect on the purchase intention of upcycled products is rejected. It was found that environmental knowledge is acquired through environmental education and many SNS, but it does not have a direct effect on the purchase intention of upcycled products. Third, it was found that the consumption value of college students has a positive effect on the purchase intention of upcycled products by increasing their positive perception of upcycled products. Fourth, college students’ purchase intention of upcycled products has a positive effect on their behavioral intention to purchase upcycled products. The results of the study provide implications for relevant organizations such as universities and companies to effectively design upcycling-related education. It is also expected to have a positive impact on the use of upcycled products by providing basic information on the characteristics of consumers who purchase upcycled products.