As global plastic pollution continues to worsen and sustainability governance systems are strengthened, eco-friendly packaging is no longer confined to the traditional domain of waste management. Instead, it has expanded into a design-driven strate...
As global plastic pollution continues to worsen and sustainability governance systems are strengthened, eco-friendly packaging is no longer confined to the traditional domain of waste management. Instead, it has expanded into a design-driven strategic domain and has emerged as a key factor in promoting the sustainable transition of the FMCG industry. Liquid laundry detergent, characterized by high usage frequency, short packaging replacement cycles, and complex material and structural compositions, is a representative household cleaning product that holds significant research importance in terms of resource consumption as well as collection and recycling management.
Focusing on Chinese laundry detergent brands, this study includes internationally recognized foreign brands in the Chinese market as comparative cases, and seeks to examine how the characteristics of FMCG eco-friendly packaging design influence consumers’ emotional responses (PAD) and brand preference through theoretical review, case analysis, and empirical analysis. In particular, by emphasizing that purchase judgments in low-involvement consumer goods contexts are based more on rapid and intuitive emotional responses than on deep cognitive processing, this study comprehensively analyzes the relationships among eco-friendly packaging design, emotional responses, and brand preference.
Based on an extensive literature review, this study identifies five core dimensions of eco-friendly packaging design attributes—functionality, aesthetics, eco-friendliness, emotionality, and symbolism—and conceptualizes consumers’ emotional responses through the three PAD sub-dimensions: perceived pleasure, perceived arousal, and perceived dominance. Building on a structural analysis of materials, form, graphics, color, and layout, the study analyzes 520 valid survey responses using SPSS 27.0 and AMOS 26.0 to conduct frequency analysis, reliability and validity testing, confirmatory factor analysis (CFA), correlation analysis, and structural equation modeling (SEM). Through this process, the research systematically elucidates the mechanisms by which eco-friendly packaging design attributes influence emotional responses and, subsequently, brand preference.
First, the findings indicate that the primary consumers who focus on eco-friendly laundry detergent packaging are married women between the ages of 30 and 59, most of whom hold a bachelor’s degree or above and have middle-to-upper income levels. This group typically possesses strong household purchasing decision power and high awareness of sustainable consumption. This demographic structure aligns closely with industry reports identifying women as the dominant purchasers of laundry detergent, supporting the representativeness of the sample.
Second, the study verifies that all five eco-friendly packaging design attributes exert significant positive effects on emotional responses, although the underlying mechanisms differ. Functionality significantly enhances perceived arousal and perceived dominance but does not significantly influence perceived pleasure, highlighting its core role in reducing operational burden, increasing safety control, and mitigating uncertainty. Aesthetics exhibits the strongest influence across all three emotional dimensions; harmonious color schemes, coherent visual order, and precise proportional structure rapidly stimulate pleasure and attentional responses upon first contact, making it the most prominent “emotional activation pathway.” Eco-friendliness also significantly affects all three emotional responses—particularly perceived arousal and dominance. When consumers recognize material reduction, lightweight structures, recyclability, or credible eco-labels, their sense of responsibility and psychological safety is reinforced, leading to stronger emotional engagement. Emotionality enhances pleasure and emotional warmth through soft color cues, contextual imagery, and narrative information. Symbolism, rooted in environmental symbolism, cultural metaphors, and sustainability narratives, strengthens value congruence and identity resonance, significantly promoting all three emotional reactions.
Overall, aesthetics, emotionality, and symbolism constitute an “emotional activation pathway,” whereas functionality and eco-friendliness form a “control–safety pathway,” together constructing a multidimensional emotional processing system for eco-friendly packaging.
The study further confirms that eco-friendly packaging design attributes not only trigger emotional responses but also significantly enhance brand preference. The relative influence of the five design attributes on brand preference is as follows: functionality, emotionality, symbolism, aesthetics, and eco-friendliness. These findings suggest that in low-involvement product contexts, consumer judgment remains primarily driven by expectations regarding performance, safety, and convenience. Emotionality and symbolism enhance brand preference by strengthening brand meaning and value resonance. Although eco-friendliness exhibits a comparatively weaker effect, its persistent positive influence indicates that sustainability is gradually becoming an essential component of brand competitiveness.
With respect to the relationship between emotional responses and brand preference, all three emotional dimensions exhibit significant positive effects. Perceived dominance demonstrates the strongest influence, suggesting that “a sense of control, safety, and low effort” constitutes a key psychological basis for choosing everyday household products. Perceived arousal contributes by heightening attention and engagement, thereby enhancing brand memory, while perceived pleasure—although weaker—still provides positive affective support for overall brand experience. These findings collectively confirm the central mediating role of emotional responses (PAD) in linking eco-friendly packaging design attributes with brand preference.
Through case analysis of representative brands such as Blue Moon, Liby, Chaoneng, Walch, and Yueshang, this study reinforces the explanatory power of the quantitative model. Functionality is reflected in features such as rotating pump heads, measuring-cap scales, and stable grip structures. Aesthetics is expressed through thematic visual systems, color schemes, and narrative imagery. Eco-friendliness is manifested through recyclable materials, environmentally friendly inks, and concentrated formulations. Symbolism and emotionality are conveyed through natural narratives, symbolic systems, and affective expressions that strengthen value identification. These case-based stimuli align closely with the model’s structural pathways, forming an integrated evidence chain linking “design attributes → emotional responses → brand preference,” thereby enhancing the robustness and external validity of the findings.
Moreover, the results of this study align with prior research by Orth and Malkewitz (2008), Yu Shulan (2024), Miguel Ángel Artacho (2020), and Shizhen Bai (2024), further confirming the applicability of the PAD framework in eco-friendly packaging contexts. Unlike earlier studies focused narrowly on single materials or visual elements, this research establishes a comprehensive mechanism encompassing five design attributes, the three PAD dimensions, and brand preference, demonstrating that the emotional system functions as the key psychological bridge between eco-friendly packaging design and brand preference.
Overall, this study elucidates the emotional processing mechanisms underlying low-involvement FMCG consumption within sustainable contexts, filling a notable gap in prior eco-friendly packaging research regarding emotional processes. It also provides a structured theoretical framework and practical insights for sustainable packaging innovation and brand management in the FMCG sector. The findings suggest that effective eco-friendly packaging design should integrate functionality, aesthetic appeal, eco-credibility, value symbolism, and emotional expression to foster more stable brand preference within consumers’ emotional systems.