Exploring the Effects of Low-Carbon Labels on Purchase Intentions for Green Agricultural Products

Round 1

Reviewer 1 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

Congratulations to the authors for the research carried out, it is a novel, interesting and very current contribution. This study focuses on examining the influence of low-carbon labels on the willingness of consumers to buy green agricultural products.

The study is interesting in that it analyses the growing pro-environmental orientation among consumers and the increasing recognition of sustainable development through low-carbon labels; the consumer preference for low-carbon agricultural products driven by sensory appeal and perceived environmental, functional and emotional benefits; the importance of intuitive consumer perception in fostering trust towards low-carbon agricultural products, emphasizing the need for labels to emphasize functional and emotional values.

The introduction provides sufficient background and includes all relevant references by reviewing the state of the art. The content is described succinctly and contextualized with respect to the theoretical background and previous empirical research. References and citations are appropriate within the field of study.

Sections two and three clearly describe the structure of the research design, the hypothesis and the research methods that have been used.

The results of the research are clear and convincing regarding what was proposed, the important data of the research are clearly mentioned.

The conclusions are fully supported by the results presented in the article. If necessary, the authors are encouraged to include a comparative analysis with the results of similar studies that may improve the quality of the article.

Author Response

We are grateful to the editor and reviewers for their positive and constructive comments and criticisms concerning our manuscript, “Exploring the Effect of Low-Carbon Labels on Purchase Intention of Green Agricultural Products” (ID: sustainability-3137467). These comments and criticisms are very helpful for revising and improving our paper. We have made necessary corrections and changes in response to them. We hope that you will find our revised manuscript is acceptable for publication. Of course, we will make additionally changes if there remain unaddressed or inadequately addressed comments.

 

Reviewer #1:

The conclusions are fully supported by the results presented in the article. If necessary, the authors are encouraged to include a comparative analysis with the results of similar studies that may improve the quality of the article.

Thanks for your observation and suggestion. The comparison with similar findings has been incorporated into section 5.1 in order to enhance the academic rigor of the paper. “The research results of this paper are consistent with those of previous studies, such as Huang et al. (2021), Osman et al. (2019), and Zhang et al. (2019).”

Huang, Y.; Yang, X.; Li, X.; Chen, Q. Less is better: How nutrition and low-carbon labels jointly backfire on the evaluation of food products. Nutrients 2021, 13,1088. [DOI: 10.3390/nu13041088]

Osman, M.; Thornton, K. Traffic light labelling of meals to promote sustainable consumption and healthy eating. Appetite 2019, 138, 60-71. [DOI: 10.1016/j.appet.2019.03.015]

Zhang, X.; Wang, X. Research on the influence of eco-label on the purchase intention of green products with the mediating role of consumer perceived value. Ecological Economy 2019, 35, 59-64.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 2 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This study investigated the important role of "Low carbon labels" in environmental protection from the perspective of consumption, and concluded that factors such as environment and functionality can strongly influence the purchase intention of "Low carbon labels" agricultural products, which has certain research significance.

1. Partial lack of detailed description of data sources, such as survey time, etc.

2. The questionnaire lacks necessary questions for the formation of purchasing behavior, such as "availability". There is also a lack of analysis on the relationship between purchase intention and purchase behavior, as studying the formation of purchase behavior is more practical than studying purchase intention.

3. Please strengthen the logical relationship between "policy recommendations" and "conclusions".

Author Response

We are grateful to the editor and reviewers for their positive and constructive comments and criticisms concerning our manuscript, “Exploring the Effect of Low-Carbon Labels on Purchase Intention of Green Agricultural Products” (ID: sustainability-3137467). These comments and criticisms are very helpful for revising and improving our paper. We have made necessary corrections and changes in response to them. We hope that you will find our revised manuscript is acceptable for publication. Of course, we will make additionally changes if there remain unaddressed or inadequately addressed comments.

 

Reviewer #2:

1. Partial lack of detailed description of data sources, such as survey time, etc.

Thanks for your observation and suggestion. In section 3.1, “Simple random sampling was used to distribute the questionnaires through Wenjuanxing software, ensuring that respondents filled them out randomly. A total of 442 questionnaires were distributed duringthe period between January and February 2024, out of which 394 were deemed valid, resulting in an effective response rate of 89.14%. The samples were primarily distributed in provinces such as Jiangxi, Guangdong, Zhejiang, Jiangsu, and Shanghai in China.”

2. The questionnaire lacks necessary questions for the formation of purchasing behavior, such as "availability". There is also a lack of analysis on the relationship between purchase intention and purchase behavior, as studying the formation of purchase behavior is more practical than studying purchase intention.

Thank you for pointing this out. In future research, the focus of the research group will be on investigating the impact of low-carbon labels on bridging the gap between purchase intention and behavior. Additionally, the internal mechanism of consumers' behavioral transformation will be further revealed.

3. Please strengthen the logical relationship between "policy recommendations" and "conclusions".

Thanks for your observation and suggestion. In section 5.2, “In order to further elaborate on the guidance of promoting green consumption through sustainable development measures, such as low-carbon labels, and in the context of fostering independent environmental awareness among consumers, this paper aims to explore the impact of low-carbon labels on consumers' perceived value and the establishment of trust from three key aspects: digital technology empowerment, enhanced value transmission, and institutional regulation. Ultimately, these efforts aim to facilitate a transformation in consumer behavior.”

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

This paper topic is very interesting,and the structure is good,but l still think the paper data collection was less,china have huge market,if can collect different provinces area data is better,and this paper empirical analysis part was weaknes,especially can improve empirical model;meanwhile,this paper refefence was wrong,please not use Chinese style reference.at last,author should improve English in the paper.

Comments on the Quality of English Language

This paper topic is very interesting,and the structure is good,but l still think the paper data collection was less,china have huge market,if can collect different provinces area data is better,and this paper empirical analysis part was weaknes,especially can improve empirical model;meanwhile,this paper refefence was wrong,please not use Chinese style reference.at last,author should improve English in the paper.

Author Response

We are grateful to the editor and reviewers for their positive and constructive comments and criticisms concerning our manuscript, “Exploring the Effect of Low-Carbon Labels on Purchase Intention of Green Agricultural Products” (ID: sustainability-3137467). These comments and criticisms are very helpful for revising and improving our paper. We have made necessary corrections and changes in response to them. We hope that you will find our revised manuscript is acceptable for publication. Of course, we will make additionally changes if there remain unaddressed or inadequately addressed comments.

 

Reviewer #3:

This paper topic is very interesting,and the structure is good,but l still think the paper data collection was less,china have huge market,if can collect different provinces area data is better,and this paper empirical analysis part was weaknes,especially can improve empirical model;meanwhile,this paper refefence was wrong,please not use Chinese style reference.at last,author should improve English in the paper.

Thanks for your observation and suggestion. In the subsequent research, the research team will increase the sample size and incorporate regional variables to enhance the empirical model based on the overall sample analysis. Additionally, the format of the cited references has been corrected. At the same time, the English language throughout the entire text has been refined.

Author Response File: Author Response.docx

Round 2

Reviewer 3 Report

Comments and Suggestions for Authors

the author had revision the paper,so l recommend accept.