Sustainability requires more than just small steps
08.07.2026
Companies are now investing billions in sustainability. But which measures actually win over consumers?
A recent study by a research team led by Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuester (University of Mannheim), Dr. Angeliki Kalogeraki (SharkNinja Germany GmbH) and Prof. Dr. Ludwig Bstieler (University of New Hampshire) shows: Not every sustainable product innovation is valued equally by consumers.
The study, published in the Journal of Product Innovation Management, examines how consumers react to different types of sustainable product innovations. The authors distinguish between incremental innovations – which improve existing products, for example through better recyclability or greater resource efficiency – and radical innovations, which are based on new technologies and fundamentally rethink sustainability.
Key Results
The results show that radical sustainable innovations elicit significantly more positive reactions. Consumers demonstrate a greater intention to purchase, a higher willingness to pay, and also rate the company itself more favourably. The reason for this lies not solely in the innovation itself, but in the motives that consumers attribute to the company.
“Consumers generally accept that companies want to make a profit,” explains Prof. Dr. Sabine Kuester. “What matters, however, is whether they also get the impression that a company is acting out of genuine conviction and takes sustainability seriously.”
The difference between radical and incremental innovations
Radical innovations are more frequently perceived by consumers as an expression of a genuine commitment to sustainability. Incremental improvements, by contrast, tend to be interpreted as a response to market demands or regulatory requirements. In both cases, the pursuit of profit is regarded as a given. The success of sustainable innovations therefore does not depend on the absence of economic interests, but rather on the additional perception of credible environmental motives.
These effects are particularly pronounced in companies that already have a positive reputation for sustainability. In such cases, consumers interpret radical innovations even more strongly as an expression of a long-term and credible commitment to sustainability.
Implications
What is remarkable here is the broad generalisability of the findings. The researchers were able to demonstrate these effects in both technology-intensive products, such as smartphones and washing machines, and in simple consumer goods. The underlying psychological pattern proved to be remarkably stable across different product categories.
This sends a clear message to companies: sustainability pays off particularly well when it is linked to genuine technological progress and a credible sustainability strategy. Consumers value not only sustainable products, but above all the conviction they recognise behind these innovations.