Packaging is a product’s outerwear. Through careful design, packaging can convey the content, characteristics, and attractiveness of a product; thus, packaging is important in product marketing (Wells, Farley, & Armstrong, 2007). Packaging design is a key element of product marketing in an industrialized society, especially in the current digital technology era (Khan, 2015). As a result of modern technology, mass media, and Internet information, gaining new consumers has become a challenging task for marketing staff in firms. Most consumers are skeptical of marketing, and gauging how the consumer is thinking is more elusive than ever. This creates a sense of urgency in the marketer's ability to convey a product’s capabilities; thus, product packaging is used to persuade people to buy (Khan, 2015).

Environmental issues are exceedingly relevant to business management in the 21st century. As international influence increases on related issues, such as the impact of waste on the environment, international environmental protection agencies have successively formulated regulations, and environmental labels have been launched to be used in most countries around the world (Porter & Kramer, 2006). These labels are promoted by environmental protection badge programs. The term green has become synonymous with the addressing of environmental issues or elements (Chen, 2010). With the rise of global green trends and consumer awareness (Porter & Kramer, 2006), the decision of company managers and owners to utilize ecological awareness and green consumer attitudes to increase consumers' willingness to buy is not only their social responsibility (Khan, 2015) but also a key factor in maintaining a competitive advantage (Molina-Besch & Pålsson, 2016). Within this context, green packaging design becomes an important issue (Hartmann, Apaolaza, & Forcada Sainz, 2005).

With the increasing competition in the market, environmental claims are being integrated into the process of packaging design and manufacture; companies are attracting consumer attention through the design of the packaging of their products and are consequently entering major markets (Koenig-Lewis, Palmer, Dermody, & Urbye, 2014). The concept of packaging design comprises product packaging, product design, product features, warranties, and so forth (Abdul-Muhmin, 2002). The concept of environmental protection is used as a starting point for packaging design strategies that include the selection of packaging materials, the production methods, and the procedures and operations of the packaging design (Chen, Lai, & Wen, 2006).

In Taiwan, packaging that is perceived by the consumer as being environmentally friendly and, therefore, appropriate for a green product, can facilitate trust and brand attachment for these products, which is why more companies are opting for green packaging designs (Chen & Chang, 2013). For example, one Taiwanese manufacturer of shelves uses green packaging to attract new customers and to enhance existing customers’ trust. The packaging is printed on recycled paper that is environmentally friendly and produced with low energy use. Moreover, the green packaging reduces the materials necessary for packaging and shipping, and the packaging itself is not only made from recycled materials but can also be reused. The construction of these shelves does not require any hardware tools or adhesives, and this nested system can be made using recycled cardboard.

Brand attachment is the strength of the bond between the consumer and the brand (J. K. Park & John, 2012). People are likely to pay to maintain a relationship with a brand they trust; thus, a consumer's willingness to maintain this relationship is a crucial measure of the degree of brand attachment (Alex & Joseph, 2012). The amount of money people are likely to pay represents the correlation between the level of consumer brand attachment and the related behavior (He, Chen, & Alden, 2016). In general, the more people are willing to pay, the higher the degree of brand attachment (Malär, Krohmer, Hoyer, & Nyffenegger, 2010). Some scholars believe that brand attachment is created through emotional connection, and that this connection can be measured by feelings and enthusiasm (Ng, Butt, Khong, & Ong, 2014). Consumers and brands are linked because individuals believe that certain brands represent who they are from a feature-based perspective, and therefore the brand is meaningful to the consumer (Malär et al., 2011). Thus, understanding how to create attachment between consumers and brands is a crucial factor in successful marketing activities (Thomson, 2006).

Despite the increasingly important role of green packaging in brand creation, only a small number of researchers have explored the relationship between green packaging design and brand attachment (e.g., Chen, Hung, Wang, Huang, & Liao, 2017). To understand further the meaning of green brand attachment, we combined the notions of brand attachment and environment content to identify green brand attachment as consumers’ attachment to a brand with eco-friendly attributes. In this study we explored the effect of green packaging design on green trust and green brand attachment from the consumer’s perspective. In this pursuit, a framework was developed in which we proposed that green packaging design would play an important role in determining green trust, which would enhance green brand attachment.

Literature Review and Research Hypotheses

Green Packaging Design

In the past, the only requirements for product packaging was that it would protect the products and be aesthetically appealing to the consumer; environmental pollution and the ecological impacts of packaging were predominantly ignored, and consumers would usually discard the packaging (Molina-Besch & Pålsson, 2016). To address the environmental burden caused by growing packaging waste, countries have adopted legislation to restrict the overpackaging of goods. As a result, green packaging design has become quite popular (Koenig-Lewis et al., 2014). Green packaging design can be defined as any package design that is environmentally friendly, emphasizes environmental issues, and seeks to fulfill consumers’ needs while being beneficial to the quality of the environment (Khan, 2015). The purpose of the green packaging design is to: (a) make environmental protection marketable and profitable; (b) maintain natural resources and save worker and energy costs, and (c) satisfy consumers' needs while being beneficial to the quality of the environment (Koenig-Lewis et al., 2014). Suitable packaging design may increase customers’ trust and satisfaction (Johnson & Ettlie, 2001), as the packaging design can have symbolic meaning for the customers (Padgett & Allen, 1997). Green packaging, therefore, is based on environmental protection claims and, equally, profitability and consumer satisfaction are considered in its production and use.

Green Trust

Trust refers to people's psychological state that they will accept vulnerability based on a positive experience (Chen & Chang 2013). In marketing, trust is proven to influence consumers’ behavior (Gefen & Straub, 2004). Indeed, trust can reduce customers’ perception of risk and promote buying behavior (Flavián, Guinaliu, & Torres, 2005). In the popular social exchange theory, Morrison and Firmstone (2000) proposed that trust can encourage positive attitudes in customers, which helps create a relationship with the sellers (Chen & Chang, 2013).

Extending the notion of trust within the context of the green phenomenon, green trust refers to consumers’ trust in a specific product or brand based on the maker’s commitment to environmental protection (Chen et al., 2006). We defined green trust as “a willingness to depend on a product, service, or brand based on the belief or expectation resulting from its credibility, benevolence, and ability about its environmental performance” (Chen, 2010, p. 312). Environmental promises are made as a marketing strategy to increase consumers’ trust in a brand (Chen & Chang, 2013). In other words, if products are promoted as eco-friendly, consumers tend to have more trust in that firm’s products (Kalafatis, Pollard, East, & Tsogas, 1999).

Green Brand Attachment

In order to define green brand attachment, we referred to the study of C. W. Park, MacInnis, and Priester (2006) and combined the notions of brand attachment and environmental care to define green brand attachment as a consumer’s attachment to brands with eco-attributes.

Green Packaging Design and Green Trust

When the design concept for a product’s packaging is environmentally friendly and conforms to environmental regulations arising from environmental issues, consumers may associate the brand with environmental commitment and concern. In addition, Chen et al. (2017) have proposed that when green packaging elements represent safety and convenience, this can create positive trust by consumers. Based on the above arguments, we proposed the following hypotheses:
Hypothesis 1: Green packaging design will be positively connected to green trust of consumers.
Hypothesis 1a: Environmental protection will be positively connected to green trust of consumers.
Hypothesis 1b: Safety will be positively connected to green trust of consumers.
Hypothesis 1c: Packaging design concept will be positively connected to green trust of consumers.
Hypothesis 1d: Environmental identification will be positively connected to green trust of consumers.
Hypothesis 1e: Convenience will be positively connected to green trust of consumers.

Green Trust and Green Brand Attachment

Trust is positively correlated to brand (Morgan & Hunt, 1994), so that when consumers trust a brand, they exhibit a positive attitude toward that specific brand (Doney & Cannon, 1997), thus enhancing their commitment to the brand (Singh & Sirdeshmukh, 2000). Because consumers attach trust only to specific brands (Srivastava, Shervani, & Fahey, 1998), trust is a predictor of brand attachment (Morgan & Hunt, 1994). In this study we extended the relationship between trust and brand attachment to environmental awareness, and thus the following hypothesis was proposed:
Hypothesis 2: Green trust will be positively connected to consumers’ green brand attachment.

Method

Participants and Procedure

Consumers of green products comprised the participants of this study. The sample was approximately two thirds women (180 women and 106 men), and 13.7% had completed senior high school, with the rest of the sample (86.3%) having completed at least a bachelor’s degree. The majority of the participants (64.2%) were between the ages of 21 and 30 years, 6.6% were under 20 years, 21.4% were between the ages of 31 and 40 years, and 7.8% were older than 40 years. The participants’ occupational backgrounds comprised civil servant (4.6%), service industry (22.6%), student (59.2%), production/manufacturing (12.8%), and other (0.8%).

We used a survey to collect data for the analysis. Prior to distributing the formal survey, and after conducting a pretest, three experts and two scholars in the fields of economics and trade, and business studies, respectively, were asked to revise the items in the survey. In addition, the paper survey form was mailed to 35 consumers to identify any ambiguities relating to the terms used in the items. After this second pretest, survey forms were sent to 500 individuals whom we had checked had experience purchasing green products in Taiwan. We used convenience sampling to select the participants, and their addresses were obtained directly from them. The participants were asked to return the completed surveys through the mail within 3 weeks. Of the 500 forms distributed, 292 samples were collected, although six ineffective responses were subsequently excluded; thus, we received 286 valid responses, representing a response rate of 57.2%.

Measures

All measures used in our study were rated by respondents on a 5-point scale ranging from 1 = not at all true of me, to 5 = very true of me.

Green packaging design. Green packaging design was measured using a 10-item scale developed by Wu (2013). This scale includes five dimensions, each with two items: environmental protection, safety, packaging design concept, environmental identification, and convenience (all items are set out in Table 1). In our study the alpha coefficients of environmental protection, safety, packaging design concept, environmental identification, and convenience were 92, .89, .93, .91, and .92, respectively.

Green trust. The five-item Green Trust Scale developed by Chen (2010) was used, and the items comprised: “You feel that this brand’s environmental commitments are generally reliable,” “You feel that this brand’s environmental performance is generally dependable,” “You feel that this brand’s environmental argument is generally trustworthy,” “This brand’s environmental concern meets your expectations,” and “This brand keeps promises and commitments for environmental protection.” The alpha coefficient for the green trust scale in the current study was .93.

Green brand attachment. The four-item scale for this concept was adopted from Chen et al. (2017). Green brand attachment is evaluated through items such as “The brand’s eco-friendliness makes you feel strongly passionate about it.” In our study the alpha coefficient of this scale was .92.

Analytical Strategy

We tested the measurement model using LISREL VIII (Jöreskog & Sörbom, 1996). Moreover, a confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) was the primary data analysis tool.

Results

The results (shown in Table 1) suggest a five-factor structure with an adjusted goodness-of-fit index (GFI) of .94 and a root mean square residual (RMSR) of .05.

Reliability and Validity

Reliability was evaluated based on the Cronbach’s alpha coefficient; the overall reliability of all the scales was above the acceptable level of .7, and therefore reliability is satisfactory (Nunnally, 1978). To ensure validity, the average variance extracted (AVE) for each factor was assessed: all were found to be above 0.50 (ranging from 0.55 to 0.71; see Table 2) and thus the results support convergent validity of the scales (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). Discriminant validity was then assessed by examining the correlations between the measures. As seen in Table 2, the main constructs are more strongly related to their own measures than they are to the other measures, and the square root of AVE is greater than the off-diagonal elements in the corresponding rows and columns; therefore, discriminant validity is supported (Fornell & Larcker, 1981). These results suggest that the measures employed in this study possess adequate reliability and validity.

Having confirmed the reliability and validity of the constructs, we examined the hypotheses by estimating the full model. As seen in Figure 1, we used a structural model. The results suggest that the fit statistics of the model, according to chi-square value/degrees of freedom (χ²/df), root mean square error of approximation (RMSEA), comparative fit index (CFI), incremental fit index (IFI), and normed fit index (NFI) are within the recommended range (χ²/df = 2.328, RMSEA = .075; CFI = .93; IFI = .93; NFI = .92). The results of the overall fit measures indicate that the fit of the model is acceptable. As the structural model and the data were an excellent fit, we then tested the hypotheses based on its parameter estimates.

Hypothesis Testing

In the figure the results of the hypothesis tests are shown. The structural links between green trust and environmental protection, safety, packaging design concept, environmental identification, and convenience are fully supported. Because green packaging design positively influences green trust, Hypothesis 1 is fully supported.

Regarding Hypothesis 2, the results suggest that green trust has a positive influence on green brand attachment. As seen in Figure 1, the coefficients of green trust on green brand attachment (β = .37, p < .05) are significant. This finding fully supports Hypothesis 2, indicating that green trust is an important predictor of green brand attachment.

Discussion

Although previous researchers have extensively explored green issues, to the best of our knowledge few studies have been conducted to examine the effect of green marketing on brand attachment of consumers. To fill this gap, in this article we proposed four novel constructs: green packaging design, green brand image, green trust, and green brand attachment.

Comparing the results of this study with the extant literature, there are several economic, social, and cultural differences. First, within an economic context, in Taiwan although people’s income is lower than in many other countries, they are still willing to pay more for products that are green. Second, within a social context, most people in Taiwan are aware of the importance of green issues, and they recognize the importance of green packaging design. Within a cultural context, people in Taiwan emphasize the importance of green packaging design and, therefore, favor companies that market their products in packaging with a green design.

We proposed a research framework for understanding the role of green packaging design in improving green trust and green brand attachment from a consumer perspective. The findings indicate that green packaging design was an important predictor of Taiwanese consumers’ green trust. This result is consistent with the study of Johnson and Ettlie (2001), who found that appropriate packaging design can create trust in consumers. When we extended the relationship between packaging design and trust in green marketing, we found that when the packaging design incorporates a green concept and environmental issues are taken into account, green trust was created among the Taiwanese consumers, which is consistent with the finding reported by Chen and Chang (2013). In addition, we found that green packaging design was an important predictor of green brand attachment among our participants; thus, enterprises in Taiwan can strengthen green brand attachment through green packaging design. This research finding is consistent with that reported by Chen et al. (2006). As previously established, we found that packaging is a key factor in brand attachment (Chen et al., 2017). Our findings in this study extend the relevance of packaging and brand attachment to green issues. When the management and marketers of a company communicate the dedication of the organization to environmental issues through the packaging that is used on the company’s products, this can create brand attachment in consumers, which promotes a positive customer relationship with the company.

The relationship between green trust and green brand attachment was also confirmed in this study. The findings suggest that green trust was an important determinant of green brand attachment among our Taiwanese participant group, which is consistent with the finding in previous studies that trust is important for brand attachment (e.g., Ganesan, 1994).

In this study we make two theoretical contributions. First, we extended the concept of packaging design, trust, and brand attachment to within a green context. We also developed a research framework that helped confirm that the five constructs of green packaging design (i.e., environmental protection, safety, packaging design concept, environmental identification, and convenience) facilitate green trust, which contributes to green brand attachment. Second, no study had previously been conducted to explore the relationships among green packaging design, green trust, and green brand attachment. The empirical support for the model of our study is based on data collected from consumers in Taiwan. The findings help fill the gap in the literature regarding the relationships among green packaging design, green trust, and green brand attachment.

In regard to social responsibility and sustainable management, owners and managers of enterprises should actively engage in green-related design, production, and promotion, as well as complying actively with global green trends not only to save resources, but also to increase their competitive advantage in the market. Therefore, understanding the numerous factors that influence consumers’ purchasing behavior can help managers and marketers of firms making green products to improve on the ways they meet consumers’ needs and enhance the competitiveness of the firm’s green products.

There are several research limitations to this study. First, the study sample included consumers in Taiwan only; therefore, future research should also survey consumers in other regions so that the research inference can be more accurate. Second, future researchers should conduct long-term studies to verify the relationship between the presented variables. Finally, in this study we investigated the relationship between the outlined variables through the use of a survey. Future researchers can also use other methods, such as interviews, to test the relationships among the variables.

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Xin Zhao, School of Tourism Management, Hainan Tropical Ocean University, 1 Yucai Road, Sanya, Hainan, People’s Republic of China. Email: [email protected]