Glob. Environ. Change http://doi.org/rv3 (2014)

Product choices are mainly driven by the functional benefits of owning and using the products (instrumental advantages). However sustainable products, such as solar panels, often cost more and are less reliable (instrumental shortcomings) than conventional ones, and therefore face higher barriers to adoption.

Ernst H. Noppers of the University of Groningen, The Netherlands, and colleagues hypothesized that instrumental attributes alone are insufficient to explain choice patterns for sustainable innovations. They tested the significance of a range of attributes for the adoption of electric cars and local renewable energy systems. In addition to instrumental attributes, they looked at the environmental outcomes of owning and using the products (environmental attributes) and the outcomes for one's self-identity and social status (symbolic attributes). Participants stated the importance of instrumental and environmental attributes for choosing green products. However, the results showed that positive evaluations of symbolic attributes, especially in the presence of instrumental shortcomings, can raise interest in sustainable innovations with important implications for communication campaigns.