Attitudes towards sustainable plant-based diets in Japan: Business and consumer perspectives

• Project/Area Number: 24K16414
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Review Section: Basic Section 07080:Business administration-related
• Research Institution: Hitotsubashi University
• Principal Investigator: Rovanto Savu・Sasha 一橋大学, 社会科学高等研究院, 講師 (20990451)
• Project Period (FY): 2024-04-01 – 2026-03-31
• Project Status: Granted (Fiscal Year 2024)
• Budget Amount: ¥4,680,000 (Direct Cost: ¥3,600,000、Indirect Cost: ¥1,080,000); Fiscal Year 2025: ¥1,430,000 (Direct Cost: ¥1,100,000、Indirect Cost: ¥330,000); Fiscal Year 2024: ¥3,250,000 (Direct Cost: ¥2,500,000、Indirect Cost: ¥750,000)
• Keywords: Sustainability / Plant-based / Informal institutions

Outline of Research at the Start

The research aims to identify attitudes and the outcomes of these attitudes towards sustainable plant-based food systems in Japan. Plant-based foods bear great sustainability potential due to their low environmental footprints compared to their animal-based alternatives, such as meat. However, clashing attitudes between businesses and consumers can even negate efforts made towards this sustainable practice. Through a vast dataset of survey and interview data, the study aims to generate novel understanding of the informal factors influencing the adoption of plant-based food systems in Japan.