Changing consumer preferences and international market structure within the framework of environment, health and ethics: Vegan market research

Increasing competition with the effect of globalization and industrialization has led to the approach of achieving the highest profit with the lowest cost, leading to excessive and uncontrolled consumption of resources at levels that cannot be renewed. In addition, environmental problems have reached a global dimension and have become an important topic on the agenda. Especially in societies with a high level of welfare, high awareness and sensitivity towards problems has begun to be seen. This situation is reflected in the purchasing decisions of consumers and their lifestyles and attitudes with the effect of awareness on issues such as ethics, environment and health. Changing consumer preferences and ethical issues, health concerns, environmental issues and especially sustainability concerns have created a new rapidly developing consumer group and a new market in the world; Vegan market. In this study; Ethical, environmental and health-oriented change in the international market has been examined, and research has been carried out specifically for the vegan market. This studies aim has been to understand the driving forces in the development of this market, which has developed for various reasons, to define the consumer group in detail, to identify the development in the market and, if any, deficiencies. The last part of the study consisted of an online interview for vegan producers producing in Turkey and a survey for vegan consumers living in Turkey. A total of 280 vegan consumers and 3 vegan producers formed the sample of our study. As a result of the study, it was concluded that the market did not develop solely on a demand-oriented basis, that the search for alternatives occurred in the market with the effect of growing environmental problems and the rapidly increasing population, and this contributed to the growth of the market, that the vegans living in Turkey care about the environment to a large extent, and that the understanding of environmentalism is developed among vegans. It has been observed that those who invest in the vegan market in Turkey care about the climate crisis and sustainability.