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Green Souvenirs: Beyond Aesthetic Appeal
The act of unwrapping a meticulously packaged local food gift emphasises the symbolic and experiential dimensions of tourism souvenirs. Nonetheless, packaging waste constitutes a substantial proportion of global landfill content, hence amplifying the demand for more sustainable solutions. Recent data indicate that containers and packaging accounted for approximately 28 per cent of municipal solid waste in the United States in 2018 (82.2 million tons!), highlighting the considerable environmental burden of single-use packaging (United States Environmental Protection Agency, 2023). Within this context, the study adopted an extended Theory of Planned Behaviour framework to analyse the extent to which cultural background influences tourists’ perceptions of eco-friendly packaging for food souvenirs. The results confirm that cultural influences are critical in determining the perceived value of sustainability.

Eastern and Western Orientations
The comparative analysis involved 176 Eastern and 116 Western participants who had purchased food souvenirs during international trips. Eastern cultural contexts, marked by collectivism, exhibited a higher sensitivity to packaging cues, such as recycling symbols and biodegradable certifications, and these cues were associated with social approval. Conversely, Western tourists, embedded in more individualist cultures, were relatively less swayed by social validation and tended to prioritise internal evaluations of satisfaction with the products. This aligned with past studies suggesting that tourists from Eastern contexts often purchase with “we” in mind, whereas those from individualistic contexts purchase with “I” alone (Triandis, 1995; Markus & Kitayama, 1991). This distinction illustrates the salience of social expectations within collectivist societies and the primacy of individual agency in individualist settings.

Cultural Values and Green Packaging Perceptions
The findings indicate that the perception of packaging as being “environmentally friendly” generated significant positive effects on Eastern tourists’ attitudes, social norms, and perceived behavioural control. These linkages demonstrate the importance of eco-friendly packaging as a signal of quality and responsibility within collectivist frameworks. Previous research supports this finding, indicating that collectivist consumers often incorporate familial and social community expectations into their decision-making processes (Nguyen et al., 2020). Thus, a compostable wrapper or recyclable design may serve as a decisive purchase criterion within this group.
For Western tourists, however, the pattern of influence diverged. Eco-friendly packaging alone did not significantly influence their attitudes or subjective norms, but individual-level attitudes and perceived behavioural control were key determinants of purchase intention. These findings reinforce the principle that tourists in individualist contexts prioritise self-evaluated alignment with personal convictions, rather than social endorsements. Moreover, Western participants had a greater propensity to convert green purchase intentions into actual behaviour, indicating a pragmatic orientation in sustainable consumption practices.

Implications for Industry Practice
This research highlights that cultural orientations shape the lens through which tourists interpret eco-friendly packaging and, consequently, inform strategies for effective design and communication. For collectivist audiences, businesses should emphasise visible sustainability indicators, including eco-labels and green certifications, as these serve both informational and normative functions. For individualist audiences, marketing strategies should foreground personal advantages such as authenticity, product quality, and ethical satisfaction, rather than appeal to group conformity. Storytelling also represents an effective tool: narratives emphasising community benefits may resonate strongly with the collectivist groups, whereas accounts of innovation and personal motivation align more closely with individualist consumers.

Functionality remains a critical dimension across both groups. Sustainable packaging must preserve product integrity, adhere to transportation standards, and maintain cultural authenticity, while simultaneously minimising environmental impacts. Failure to balance these demands jeopardises consumer trust and diminishes the credibility of sustainability claims.

Conclusion
Eco-friendly packaging for food souvenirs serves as both an environmental imperative and a cultural symbol, above mere aesthetics. The study indicates that while pro-sustainability attitudes are prevalent across cultural contexts, the mechanisms that motivate purchase decisions diverge significantly. Tourism businesses and packaging designers must consider these cultural subtleties while formulating sustainable solutions. By doing so, they may simultaneously enhance consumer satisfaction and contribute to overarching sustainability goals. Ultimately, bridging cultures with “green wraps” offers an opportunity to align business imperatives with cultural sensitivities, thereby fostering both commercial and environmental value.

Dr Tan Ai Ling
School of Hospitality and Tourism Management
Email: @email

References: 
Markus, H. R., & Kitayama, S. (1991). Culture and the self: Implications for cognition, emotion, and motivation. Psychological Review, 98(2), 224–253.  
Nguyen, A. T., Parker, L., Brennan, L., & Lockrey, S. (2020). A consumer definition of eco-friendly packaging. Journal of Cleaner Production, 252, 119792.  
Triandis, H. C. (1995). Individualism and collectivism. Westview Press.
United States Environmental Protection Agency. (2023, November 2). Containers and packaging: Product-specific data. U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.