The role of the new ecological paradigm scale on the willingness to pay and willingness to wait for e-commerce deliveries

Baiwir, Tanguy; Limbourg, Sabine; Cools, Mario

doi:10.1080/15568318.2025.2544181

Article (Scientific journals)

The role of the new ecological paradigm scale on the willingness to pay and willingness to wait for e-commerce deliveries

Baiwir, Tanguy; Limbourg, Sabine; Cools, Mario

2025 • In International Journal of Sustainable Transportation

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Permalink
https://hdl.handle.net/2268/335217

DOI
10.1080/15568318.2025.2544181

Files (1)Send to Details Statistics Bibliography Similar publications

Files

Full Text

_E_commerce_and_Sustainability__IJST_.pdf

Author postprint (501.65 kB)

Download

All documents in ORBi are protected by a user license.

Send to

RIS BibTex APA Chicago Permalink X Linkedin

Details

Keywords :

E-commerce; new ecological paradigm scale; sustainability; willingness to pay; willingness to wait

Abstract :

[en] Amidst the rise of e-commerce, understanding the interplay between consumer behaviors and environmental considerations has become pivotal. This study examines how environmental awareness impacts e-commerce consumers’ preferences for sustainable versus express delivery options. To contribute to the literature in this field, we investigate the behaviors of a sample of 299 e-commerce consumers, particularly in light of growing environmental concerns. Leveraging the New Ecological Paradigm Scale (NEPS), we compute an ecological score, offering a comprehensive insight into its influence on varied consumer decisions. Principal Component Analysis of the NEPS items reveals that the first four components account for nearly 50% of the variance, highlighting significant dimensions of environmental perspectives. Additionally, Cronbach’s alpha analysis indicates that the NEPS scale is reliable and has good internal consistency, justifying the use of a summated scale to reflect overall ecological positioning. We then contrast two primary delivery types: sustainable and express. The key metrics under scrutiny include the willingness to wait and the willingness to pay for sustainable delivery and willingness to pay for express delivery. Our findings affirm that NEPS affects positively willingness to pay and willingness to wait for sustainable delivery and negatively WTP for express delivery.

Research Center/Unit :

Quantom

Disciplines :

Special economic topics (health, labor, transportation...)

Author, co-author :

Baiwir, Tanguy ; Université de Liège - ULiège > HEC Liège : UER > UER Opérations : Logistique

Limbourg, Sabine ; Université de Liège - ULiège > HEC Liège : UER > UER Opérations : Logistique

Cools, Mario ; Université de Liège - ULiège > Département ArGEnCo > Transports et mobilité

Language :

English

Title :

The role of the new ecological paradigm scale on the willingness to pay and willingness to wait for e-commerce deliveries

Publication date :

13 August 2025

Journal title :

International Journal of Sustainable Transportation

ISSN :

1556-8318

eISSN :

1556-8334

Publisher :

Taylor and Francis, Philadelphia, United States - Pennsylvania

Peer reviewed :

Peer Reviewed verified by ORBi

Available on ORBi :

since 14 August 2025

Statistics

Number of views

140 (9 by ULiège)

Number of downloads

132 (1 by ULiège)

More statistics

Scopus citations^®

Scopus citations^®
without self-citations

OpenCitations

OpenAlex citations

Bibliography

Agbo, A. A., (2010). Cronbach’s alpha: Review of limitations and associated recommendations. Journal of Psychology in Africa,20(2), 233–239. https://doi.org/10.1080/14330237.2010.10820371
Ajzen, I., (1991). The theory of planned behavior. Organizational Behavior and Human Decision Processes,50(2), 179–211. https://doi.org/10.1016/0749-5978(91)90020-T
Allen, J., Piecyk, M., Piotrowska, M., McLeod, F., Cherrett, T., Ghali, K., Nguyen, T., Bektas, T., Bates, O., Friday, A., Wise, S., & Austwick, M., (2018). Understanding the impact of e-commerce on last-mile light goods vehicle activity in urban areas: The case of London. Transportation Research Part D: Transport and Environment,61, 325–338. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2017.07.020
Amir, M., & Dhyani, A., (2019). Measuring consumers’ perception and determinants of green purchase. International Journal of Advanced Science and Technology,28, 250–269.
Bhatti, A., Akram, H., Basit, H. M., Khan, A. U., Mahwish Raza, S., Naqvi, M. B., et al. (2020). E-commerce trends during COVID-19 Pandemic. International Journal of Future Generation Communication and Networking,13(2), 1449–1452.
Bi, K., Yang, M., Zhou, X., Zahid, L., Zhu, Y., & Sun, Z., (2020). Reducing carbon emissions from collaborative distribution: A case study of urban express in China. Environmental Science and Pollution Research International, 27(14), 16215–16230. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11356-020-08143-2
Boggio-Marzet, A., Villa-Martínez, R., & Monzón, A., (2023). Selection of policy actions for e-commerce last-mile delivery in cities: An online multi-actor multi-criteria evaluation. Transport Policy,142, 15–27. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tranpol.2023.08.008
Braeken, J., & Van Assen, M. A., (2017). An empirical Kaiser criterion. Psychological Methods, 22(3), 450–466. https://doi.org/10.1037/met0000074
Brunetti, F., Russo, I., & Confente, I., (2018). How environmentally friendly is E-Commerce? An exploration into young shoppers’ perceptions and preferences. InProc., 21st International Conference Excellence in Services, Le Cnam, Paris.
Burt, S., & Sparks, L., (2003). E-commerce and the retail process: A review. Journal of Retailing and Consumer Services,10(5), 275–286. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0969-6989(02)00062-0
Caspersen, E., Navrud, S., & Bengtsson, J., (2022). Act locally? Are female online shoppers willing to pay to reduce the carbon footprint of last mile deliveries?International Journal of Sustainable Transportation,16(12), 1144–1158. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2021.1975326
Demir, E., Huang, Y., Scholts, S., & Van Woensel, T., (2015). A selected review on the negative externalities of the freight transportation: Modeling and pricing. Transportation Research E, 77, 95–114. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tre.2015.02.020
Duan, H., Song, G., Qu, S., Dong, X., & Xu, M., (2019). Post-consumer packaging waste from express delivery in China. Resources, Conservation and Recycling,144, 137–143. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2019.01.037
Dunlap, R. E., & Van Liere, K. D., (1978). The “New Environmental Paradigm”. The Journal of Environmental Education,9(4), 10–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/00958964.1978.10801875
Dunlap, R. E., Van Liere, K. D., Mertig, A. G., & Jones, R. E., (2000). New trends in measuring environmental attitudes: Measuring endorsement of the new ecological paradigm: A revised NEP scale. Journal of Social Issues,56(3), 425–442. https://doi.org/10.1111/0022-4537.00176
van Essen, H., Fiorello, D., Beyrouty, K. E., Bieler, C., van Wijngaarden, L., Schroten, A., et al. (2020). Handbook on the external costs of transport–Version 2019–1.1. Publications Office of the European Union.
Fan, W., Xu, M., Dong, X., & Wei, H., (2017). Considerable environmental impact of the rapid development of China’s express delivery industry. Resources, Conservation and Recycling,126, 174–176. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resconrec.2017.07.041
Fraj, E., & Martinez, E., (2007). Ecological consumer behaviour: An empirical analysis. International Journal of Consumer Studies, 31(1), 26–33. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1470-6431.2006.00565.x
Gansser, O. A., & Reich, C. S., (2023). Influence of the New Ecological Paradigm (NEP) and environmental concerns on pro-environmental behavioral intention based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB). Journal of Cleaner Production,382, 134629. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652622042019. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2022.134629
Haffar, G. E., Durif, F., & Dubé, L., (2020). Towards closing the attitude-intention-behavior gap in green consumption: A narrative review of the literature and an overview of future research directions. Journal of Cleaner Production,275, 122556. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652620326032. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2020.122556
Han, H., Chua, B.-L., & Hyun, S. S., (2020). Consumers’ intention to adopt eco-friendly electric airplanes: The moderating role of perceived uncertainty of outcomes and attachment to eco-friendly products. International Journal of Sustainable Transportation,14(9), 671–685. https://doi.org/10.1080/15568318.2019.1607957
Hope, T. M. H., (2020). Linear regression. In Machine learning (pp. 67–81). Academic Press.
Ignat, B., & Chankov, S., (2020). Do e-commerce customers change their preferred last-mile delivery based on its sustainability impact?The International Journal of Logistics Management, 31(3), 521–548. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJLM-11-2019-0305
Jacob, D., 2022. Etude statistique sur l’entrepreneuriat e-commerce belge (édition 2022). Retis.
Kempton, W., Boster, J. S., & Hartley, J. A., (1995). Environmental values in American culture. MIT Press.
Klein, P., & Popp, B., (2022). Last-mile delivery methods in E-commerce: Does perceived sustainability matter for consumer acceptance and usage?Sustainability,14(24), 16437. https://www.mdpi.com/2071-1050/14/24/16437. https://doi.org/10.3390/su142416437
Kokkinou, A., Quak, H., Mitas, O., & Mandemakers, A., (2024). Should I wait or should I go? Encouraging customers to make the more sustainable delivery choice. Research in Transportation Economics,103, 101388. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.retrec.2023.101388
Kumar, R. R., & Alok, K., (2020). Adoption of electric vehicle: A literature review and prospects for sustainability. Journal of Cleaner Production,253, 119911. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.119911
Liu, Y., Yang, D., & Xu, H., (2017). Factors influencing consumer willingness to pay for low-carbon products: A simulation study in China. Business Strategy and the Environment, 26(7), 972–984. https://doi.org/10.1002/bse.1959
Macharis, C., (2021). How to increase the fill rates in freight transportation. Retrieved August 23, 2022, from https://www.mixmove.io/post/increase-fill-rates-in-freight-transportation.
Nogueira, G. P. M., de Assis Rangel, J. J., Croce, P. R., & Peixoto, T. A., (2022). The environmental impact of fast delivery B2C e-commerce in outbound logistics operations: A simulation approach. Cleaner Logistics and Supply Chain,5, 100070. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clscn.2022.100070
Nogueira, G. P. M., de Assis Rangel, J. J., & Shimoda, E., (2021). Sustainable last-mile distribution in B2C e-commerce: Do consumers really care?Cleaner and Responsible Consumption,3, 100021. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.clrc.2021.100021
Park, H. J., & Lin, L. M., (2020). Exploring attitude–behavior gap in sustainable consumption: Comparison of recycled and upcycled fashion products. Journal of Business Research,117, 623–628. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296318304004. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2018.08.025
Prakash, G., & Pathak, P., (2017). Intention to buy eco-friendly packaged products among young consumers of India: A study on developing nation. Journal of Cleaner Production,141, 385–393. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0959652616314573. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2016.09.116
Rai, H. B., Broekaert, C., Verlinde, S., & Macharis, C., (2021). Sharing is caring: How non-financial incentives drive sustainable e-commerce delivery. Transportation Research D Transport and Environment,93, 102794. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.trd.2021.102794
Royne, M. B., Levy, M., & Martinez, J., (2011). The public health implications of consumers’ environmental concern and their willingness to pay for an eco-friendly product. Journal of Consumer Affairs, 45(2), 329–343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-6606.2011.01205.x
Sage, D., (2017). Express delivery. In A. M., Brewer, K. J., Button, & D. A., Hensher (Eds.) Handbook of logistics and supply-chain management (Vol. 2, pp. 455–466). Emerald Group Publishing Limited.
Saha, S. K., Zhuang, G., & Li, S., (2020). Will consumers pay more for efficient delivery? An empirical study of what affects E-customers’ satisfaction and willingness to pay on online shopping in Bangladesh. Sustainability,12(3), 1121. https://doi.org/10.3390/su12031121
Schreiber, J. B., (2021). Issues and recommendations for exploratory factor analysis and principal component analysis. Research in Social & Administrative Pharmacy, 17(5), 1004–1011. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sapharm.2020.07.027
Shen, M., & Wang, J., (2022). The impact of pro-environmental awareness components on green consumption behavior: The moderation effect of consumer perceived cost, policy incentives, and face culture. Frontiers in Psychology, 13, 580823. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2022.580823
Shrestha, N., (2021). Factor analysis as a tool for survey analysis. American Journal of Applied Mathematics and Statistics, 9(1), 4–11. https://doi.org/10.12691/ajams-9-1-2
Skare, M., Gavurova, B., & Rigelsky, M., (2023). Innovation activity and the outcomes of B2C, B2B, and B2G E-Commerce in EU countries. Journal of Business Research,163, 113874. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0148296323002321. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jbusres.2023.113874
Sugiyama, K., Goto, I., Kitano, K., Mogi, K., & Honkanen, M., (2011). Effects of hydrotreated vegetable oil (HVO) as renewable diesel fuel on combustion and exhaust emissions in diesel engine. SAE International Journal of Fuels and Lubricants, 5(1), 205–217. https://doi.org/10.4271/2011-01-1954
Viet, N. Q., de Leeuw, S., & van Herpen, E., (2023). The impact of social vs environmental sustainability information disclosure on consumer choice of delivery time with varying sustainability concerns. International Journal of Physical Distribution & Logistics Management, 53(11), 26–52. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJPDLM-09-2021-0392
Villa, R., Serrano, M., García, T., & González, G., (2023). To green or not to green: The E-commerce-delivery question. Sustainability,15(16), 12161. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151612161