Awareness, understanding & attitude towards biodegradable plastic and how it affects purchase decision and corporate image

Plastic waste is one of the world's critical environmental issues. More than ten tons of plastic are being produced every second worldwide and the number has been increasing every year. Approximately 37% of world plastic waste is currently not managed properly; they are being dumped and discarded into the environment causing harm to animals and humans (Trendsformative, 2019). Even in controlled landfills, the plastic waste leak is still a major concern, with more than three million tons of plastic waste is being leaked into the ocean (Nikkei Asian Review, 2018).Yet there are plastic packaging that are produced from degradable plastic and biodegradable plastic. The two plastics are different in their raw material and features. Degradable plastic refers to traditional plastic in which chemical additives are added to allow the plastic to break down quicker than a traditional plastic usually would. It breaks down into smaller pieces of plastic called microplastic while biodegradable plastic refers to plastic made from plant-based materials like corn and wheat starch rather than petroleum. It decomposes naturally in the environment by microorganisms. The level of awareness and understanding on the types of plastics among Thai consumers is still unknown. Moreover, the attitude & concerns towards biodegradable packaging is yet to be explored. To respond to this, this research aims to determine the objectives below.•To identify the level of awareness of each of the types of plastic among Thai consumers•To identify the level of understanding and perception of biodegradable plastic among Thai consumers•To identify whether the understanding of types of plastic can affect the purchase intention for bottled water/ plastic coffee cups•To identify attitude change towards companies/organization that use biodegradable plastic for their packaging•To determine intended buyer profiles based on their intention on purchasing behavior for bottled water & coffee cupsThis research was conducted using two marketing research designs: Exploratory and Descriptive. The methodology includes In-depth interviews and self-administered online surveys. The convenience sampling method was used for sampling selection. The target of this research is those male or female ages between 18-60 years old who purchase a bottle of water at least once a week or more often. The area of study was Greater Bangkok. 10 samples were conducted for In-Depth interviews and 228 completed questionnaires were collected for self-administered online survey.The results of the research show that the majority of Thai consumers have the right understanding that 'biodegradable' plastics are "naturally break down by biological process" and "can decompose in nature" as its features. Moreover, 'Price' is also an attribute that highly mentioned for biodegradable plastic. Thai consumers perceived biodegradable plastic as to be more expensive than normal plastic; raising concerns for many that the price of the product might be increased due to the cost increase for manufacturers. Moreover, they were highly concerned about the disposal process of biodegradable plastic. They would like to know whether this type of plastic would need to be disposed of separately with other garbage or not for it to bio-decompose.There were mainly 4 factors that influence a consumer in their purchase intention change towards purchasing a plastic bottled water or coffee cup if they are made from biodegradable plastic. The 4 factors are 'F1: Trust in benefit of Biodegradable plastic', 'F2: Willing to sacrifice', 'F3: Not my responsibility' and 'F4: Active & curious'. Regression analysis showed that all factors except 'F3: Not my responsibility' have a positive influence on the purchase intention change.