Brewing sustainability: Exploring the impact of circular economy communication on consumer engagement and sustainable behaviour in the coffee shop industry

Sammanfattning: Due to the upsurge of interest in the field of sustainability, and specifically circular economy, it is of increasing importance for companies to dedicate themselves to greener business models and initiatives that step away from the linearity that is currently predominant. One way in which circularity can be implemented is through effective communication towards customers to incorporate them into the sustainability efforts. Presently, Espresso House, a key player in the Nordic coffee shop industry, is attempting to integrate circularity into their goals and strategies. The coffee shop industry, as a whole, is a large contributor to single-use plastics usage, changes to their way of business can have significant positive effects on the reduction of environmental harm caused by the industry. Therefore, this thesis will contribute to the topic of circularity in the coffee shop industry, with a focus on reusable cup usage, through a holistic single case study of Espresso House and their communication of their circular initiatives and how this impacts customer behaviour and engagement. Communication was approached through message-framing strategies, whereas behaviour and engagement were explored through the lenses of value co-creation and social exchange theory. The main findings provided in this thesis are the following: message framing plays a role in how people perceive and interact with messages, but differences occur depending on the mindset of an individual. Moreover, trust was found to act as a semipermeable membrane through which negative messages encounter difficulties in penetrating without distortions, whereas positive messages can ease their way through the gaps in the barrier. Finally, customers appear to be very willing to engage and cooperate with Espresso House in the value-creation process. Nevertheless, lacking communication prevents the maximisation of value and causes confusion among customers on what role they should assume. The limitations of this paper find their roots in the holistic single-case study that was conducted. It did not allow for a broader perspective on the coffee shop industry as a whole and focused on a singular point in time, refuting the potential of identifying long-term behavioural changes caused by communication. Nevertheless, the thesis provides a base for future research to expand upon, helping to guide the industry, and the world as a whole, towards a greener future.