Determinants of purchasing choices on the Polish cosmetics market in the light of the concepts of sustainable development and circular economy

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to examine to what degree discussion in the media and at conferences and seminars, and new EU regulations related to sustainable development and circular economy affect consumer decisions while choosing products. In the research section, the cosmetics industry was chosen as a basis for analysis. In particular, the study seeks to determine: • whether purchasing choices in the cosmetics in- dustry are determined by sex? • to what degree purchasing decisions are affected by the age, education and place of residence of the consumer? • whether the purchasing choices of consumers will be able to influence the actions of businesses as regards implementing sustainable strategies? The article uses the results of a representative nationwide study1 aimed at diagnosing the behaviours of consumers faced with major external challenges and developing a social and educational campaign entitled "Opakowanie w sam raz" (The perfect packaging) on choosing products whose packaging size matches the product's size and of which the packaging itself is recyclable. The study focuses on a broad range of cosmetic products because findings show that in the case of cosmetic products the size of both external and direct packaging often does not match the contents.(fragment of text)