Less saturated, more eco-friendly: Color saturation and consumer perception of product sustainability

Color saturation—the color's purity and intensity (also known as vividness)—is a visual feature that has been under-investigated in the context of green marketing. To advance knowledge of this topic, we performed five experimental studies to confirm that consumers tend to unconsciously associate low color saturation with a product's “gentler” impact on the environment. This perception of eco-friendliness, in turn, increases their trust in the product maker's greenness. Our research disentangles the direct and indirect impact (via consumers' perceptions of materials' naturalness, product authenticity, and product durability) of low-saturation colors on the perceived eco-friendliness of consumer products. Furthermore, the results reveal that, by fostering perceptions of eco-friendliness and green trust, such colors favorably influence consumers' behavioral intentions (i.e., their purchase intention and intention to pay a premium price for the product). Ultimately, the paper provides useful insights for companies and marketers interested in leveraging the meaning of color saturation to elicit perceptions of environmental compatibility.