Examining trust as key drivers in smart disclosure for sustainable consumption: the case of I-choose

ABSTRACT

Smart disclosure constitutes a form of open data policy that has the objective of promoting more sustainable economies and innovation by providing consumers with information to help them make better purchasing decisions. Trust in the information regarding product and certification is crucial for the adoption and usage of smart disclosure tools that make use of such information. In this paper, we investigate the determinants of trust in sustainable product information through a survey administered in Mexico and the United States. Our results suggest that brands and certificates reputation are important components to develop trust. Our results also suggest that additional information to verify label does not emerge as significant predictor to induce trust. We argue that to be useful, such information should be aggregated and presented to consumers in a simple way right at their fingertips. Finally, we found that support from government agencies and endorsement from non-for-profit organizations significantly influence consumer's trusting beliefs on sustainable practices information.

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Index Terms

• Computing methodologies

  • Artificial intelligence

    • Philosophical/theoretical foundations of artificial intelligence

      • Cognitive science

• Human-centered computing

  • Human computer interaction (HCI)

• Social and professional topics

  • Professional topics

    • Management of computing and information systems

      • Information system economics