Merely calling regular coffee "eco-friendly" can make it taste better

A new study has suggested that people find "eco-friendly" labeled cup of coffee better than a regular cup when both cups were brewed from the same batch of coffee beans.

It was found that coffee drinkers are convinced "eco friendly" coffee tastes better and are willing to pay a premium for labeled products.

The research from the University of Gavle and the University of Chicago suggested that an increasingly large number of products are marked with morally loaded labels such as 'fair-trade' and 'organically produced' - labels associated with social or environmental responsibility that speak to our conscience, News.com.au reported.

the study said 'moral labeling' serves as a marketing device for attracting consumers with preference for social fairness or environmental altruism and some individuals are indeed willing to pay a premium for labeled products.

In the study, participants tasted two cups of coffee to decided which they preferred, and then rated each coffee.

Researchers told them that one of the cups contained "eco-friendly" coffee while the other did not, although the two cups contained identical coffee.

It was found that the participants preferred the taste of, and were willing to pay more for, the "eco-friendly" coffee, at least those who scored high on a questionnaire on attitudes toward sustainable consumer behaviour.

High sustainability consumers were also willing to pay more for "eco-friendly" coffee, even when they were told, after their decision, that they preferred the non-labeled alternative.

The study was published in journal PLOS One.