Bridging the Attitude-Behaviour Gap in Biobased Product Consumption: A Comprehensive Behavioural Decision Model

Abstract

Market acceptance of biobased products is essential for advancing a sustainable bioeconomy, yet consumer decision-making remains complex and insufficiently understood. This study introduces and validates the Comprehensive Behavioural Decision Model for Biobased Products (CBDM-BBP), designed to bridge the gap between consumer attitudes and actual use behaviour. The model integrates cognitive, affective, and conative dimensions while accounting for internal and external influences such as self-interest, altruism, and contextual factors. Using survey data from 525 consumers in the Republic of Ireland, a country with strong bioeconomy ambitions and policy support for biobased innovation, we applied Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) to evaluate the framework. Results demonstrate that CBDM-BBP outperforms individual theoretical models in explaining use behaviour, offering strong predictive capability. These findings suggest that consumer use behaviour of biobased products cannot be adequately explained through isolated behavioural mechanisms but instead arises from the interaction of multiple psychological and contextual influences. The CBDM-BBP provides an empirically validated framework for capturing this complexity, offering a more comprehensive basis for understanding consumer behaviour in the bioeconomy.