Sustainability as a strategy

: the B-Corp certification’s effect on consumers’ willingness to pay

Abstract

As more companies are becoming B-Corp certified, the effects of this certification on consumers are of increasing importance. By becoming certified, companies can show that they meet a high standard of verified performance, accountability, and transparency on various factors. This research aims to understand the effect that the B-Corp certification has on willingness to pay (WTP) of consumers, in comparison to when another certification, or no certification is presented. The product used for the comparison is a crunchy muesli box. Furthermore, themediating role of value perception is tested. Knowledge on what the certification means, and consumer decision-making styles are tested as moderators. By analyzing data collected through an online questionnaire, several hypotheses were tested. Findings have shown that there is no direct influence of various sustainability certifications on WTP. There is no significant mediating effect of value perception on WTP. Decision-making styles do not moderate the relation between the certifications and WTP. Finally, when information about B-Corps was given to respondents, their WTP for the B-Corp stimulus was significantly higher. It is therefore advised to B-Corps to include B-Corp information in communication strategies to be able to ask a price premium.

Date of Award	31 Jan 2023
Original language	English
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	Paulo Romeiro (Supervisor)