Food waste is a critical problem for many countries. Food producers and groceries often discard imperfect foods or food by-products that still contain nutritional value. To address this problem, some food manufacturers have turned to upcycling, that is, to convert otherwise discarded ingredients into new food products (e.g., cacao fruit pulp into crunch bites). Consumers’ acceptance of sustainable products is generally lower than that of conventional products due to quality concerns. We speculate that for upcycled food products, consumers’ perception of product quality may vary when different percentages of imperfect ingredients are integrated into the products. Drawing from schema congruity theory, this research examines how the usage of imperfect ingredients can impact the perceived quality of upcycled food products. The implications for marketing upcycled foods are discussed.

To address the existential threat of climate change, it is important to study environmentally sustainable products and marketing strategies to promote such products. A repurposed product is created by transforming old objects into something of greater value that serves a different purpose. For example, transforming an old tie into a coffee cup sleeve or turning a discarded oil can into a drum. Thus, repurposed products are one form of waste reduction via reuse. Repurposed products have become popular in the marketplace. There is, however, little research on repurposed product consumption. Furthermore, Gen Z is a relatively unexplored population in past research on sustainable consumption. To address these research gaps, our study identified segments of Gen Zers based on their perceptions of repurposed products via a person-centered approach. Our results provide strategies for effective marketing of repurposed products. Implications for marketers are provided.