From forest immersion to sustainable choices: a systematic approach to the impact of nature exposure on behaviour

The urgency of reducing the environmental impact of food production necessitates innovative approaches to promote sustainable consumer choices. This study investigates how varying levels of interaction with natural environments influence consumer’s connection to nature and their preferences for products with sustainable attributes. Using the forest as a representative natural environment, German consumers (n = 210) were exposed to either a real forest immersion, static images of the forest, a virtual reality video of a forest, or memory-based recall before completing a questionnaire and a discrete choice experiment focused on a model sustainable food product: organic honey. The findings reveal that direct interaction with the forest significantly increased willingness to pay for sustainably produced goods, such as organic products, while virtual reality occupied an intermediate position between visual and real-life experiences. The study highlights the potential of integrating a sense of connection to nature to foster more sustainable consumer behaviour, with implications for environmental policy and marketing strategies.