12 A - Figuring out the Buyer Behavior

Choosing a segment

-       I choose the segment of people whose motivation is to help the environment. Two of my interviews were with students who are part of the movement #Unlitter, and the other one was part of Astra, a club dedicated to volunteering in different areas but she tries to focus on the environment.

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Interviews:

-       In the interviews, one of the members of the #Unlitter movement explained how they are dedicated to stop littering by doing simple tasks such as picking up pieces of trash they find on the street while walking to their class. They both mentioned the fact that they have to carry a reusable cup everywhere they go in order to avoid using the plastic cups. When I asked them if they agreed with my concept, they both did. They explained how they may still use their reusable cup just because it’s a habit for them by now, but that if they ever forget it, they won’t hesitate to purchase a drink on campus because they know that the cups they are purchasing are not bad for the environment. My other interviewee said that she loved the idea because she doesn’t have a reusable cup so she is a little bit hesitant when purchasing drinks on campus because she doesn’t want to dispose the cups. She tries to order water bottles as much as she can so she can put them in the recycling bin but sometimes she just wants to enjoy her soda.

Solutions they’ve tried before

-       The third person that I interviewed said that something she has tried before is just not eating in fast foods as much as possible. She says that its super beneficial because she saves money, she gets into the habit of cooking every day and she doesn’t need to use harmful plastic cups. But she admits that is not always that easy because there are many times in which she is in a time crunch from all of her school work and extracurriculars that she just can’t cook so she needs to rely on fast food. My two other interviewees explained that even though it is a little bit of a habit now to carry their reusable cups, it is so easy to forget them that it’s frustrating when they do and they can’t purchase a drink on campus in order to avoid the cups.

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What I learned

-       I learned that there are a lot of different solutions for the same problem. But even though there are other solutions, people who have tried them still think that it would be really helpful to also include these compostable cups. That way, there is a very accessible solution to not using harmful cups for people who want to try and make a change but don’t know where to start.