Document Type
Thesis
First Faculty Advisor
Rick Gorvett
Second Faculty Advisor
Alicia Lamere
Keywords
eco-friendliness; bags; model
Publisher
Bryant University
Rights Management
CC-BY-NC-ND
Abstract
The plight of the consumer in regards to making eco-conscious decisions is growing as concerns regarding the environment increase. This study was conducted in an effort to give consumers a tool to combat some of this issue and compare the types of shopping bags they use in terms of eco-friendliness. Research conducted in this avenue thus far contains convoluted conclusions, all made with consideration of some variables, but not all. This purpose of this study therefore lay in trying to give consumers a standardized tool to compare bag types that considered variables across all stages of a bags’ life (pre-use, in-use, post-use). We determined which variables were of importance and how they were related to each other using Interpretive Structural Modeling. We then took these variables and, through Analytical Hierarchy Processes, found the respective weights each variable would need to be considered in a model. Using survey results, mathematical processes, and reviewed literature, we were able to construct a model that functions like an index. The outputted index score allows for consumers to make comparisons about a bags eco-friendliness across bag types. The constructed index score is applicable to the decision making of an individual consumer, but requires future research before it can be used to draw overarching conclusions
