Companies contributing to the greening of consumption: findings from the dairy and appliance industries in Thailand Natapol Thongplew * , C.S.A. (Kris) van Koppen, Gert Spaargaren Environmental Policy Group, Wageningen University, Hollandseweg 1, 6706 KN Wageningen, The Netherlands article info Article history: Received 1 July 2013 Received in revised form 10 March 2014 Accepted 25 March 2014 Available online xxx Keywords: CSR strategies Thai industries Sustainable consumption Consumer orientation abstract Over the last decades, the scope of corporate environmental strategies has shifted from improving in- ternal environmental performance to reducing environmental footprint of the product chain in collab- oration with actors in the chain. Consumer-oriented corporate social responsibility (CSR) strategies are a vital part of this trend but have received little scholarly attention, particularly in low- and middle-income countries. Focusing on Thailand, this article shows how corporate strategies aimed at greening con- sumption have become visible because of an increase in sustainable products, environmental informa- tion flows, and green narratives and images. We investigated two illustrative cases, dairy and appliance industries, and found that their environmental performances in greening consumption diverge. In the dairy industry, green products and environmental product information are mainly found among small producers for niche markets. Larger producers have only recently started adopting consumer-oriented environmental strategies. Appliance companies offer consumers not only green products, but also environmental information, storylines, and images reflecting general sustainability topics and, to a modest extent, consumer eco-lifestyles. We discuss underlying factors and argue that environmental communication strategies directed at consumers have strategic relevance for both industries. Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. 1. Introduction Over the years, companies have widely embraced corporate social responsibility (CSR) as a principle and management frame- work for achieving sustainable consumption and production. One central dimension of CSR is environmental performance (e.g., Dahlsrud, 2008; ISO, 2009; WBCSD, 1999). Environmental CSR means that companies take environmental responsibility beyond legal compliance and reduce the environmental impacts of their own activities and of the activities of other stakeholders under their influence (ISO, 2009). In this respect, Kovács (2008) highlights that upstream and downstream stakeholders can be targeted by CSR strategies. The contribution of the industrial sector to the Thai economy has significantly grown over the last five decades, resulting in serious environmental pressures (e.g., Global Environmental Forum, 1999; TEI, 2003). In response to this situation, the Thai in- dustrial sector has assumed a role in alleviating environmental problems. Over the years, environmental management in industries has begun to move from an end-of-pipe approach to- ward an integrated chain-oriented approach (TEI, 2003). Thai companies are beginning to see the benefits of CSR, particularly in building good will and trust, as well as in engaging with consumers (Prayukvong and Olsen, 2009; Virakul et al., 2009). Corporate environmental strategies are no longer restricted to improving direct and indirect product performances 1 ; for some companies, they now extend to perceptions and activities of consumers in the consumption phase. Several producers have begun to develop strategies targeted toward consumers. They communicate, via eco- labels and other tactics, with consumers regarding the increasing range of eco-friendly products and the reasons for buying and using sustainable products. Although research on consumer-oriented strategies has been growing in high-income countries, the topic has not been exten- sively studied in middle-income countries, including countries such as China and India in which emerging middle classes are responsible for an acceleration in the consumption levels (Kharas * Corresponding author. Tel.: þ31 317 484452; fax: þ31 317 483990. E-mail address: natapol.thongplew@wur.nl (N. Thongplew). 1 We define direct and indirect product performance from the consumer perspective. Direct product performance refers to the environmental performance of the product during the utilization, whereas indirect product performance refers to the environmental performance during upstream phases of manufacturing. Contents lists available at ScienceDirect Journal of Cleaner Production journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/jclepro http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.03.076 0959-6526/Ó 2014 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Journal of Cleaner Production xxx (2014) 1e10 Please cite this article in press as: Thongplew, N., et al., Companies contributing to the greening of consumption: findings from the dairy and appliance industries in Thailand, Journal of Cleaner Production (2014), http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.jclepro.2014.03.076