Eco-friendly packaging key to help define sustainability, consumers say
More than half of consumers polled about sustainability by The Packer earlier this year said that eco-friendly packaging helps them define whether a product is sustainable.
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The survey of 550 consumers, performed in July, asked:
“Which of the following labels/product features help you define a product as sustainable? (Select all that apply)”
- Eco-friendly packaging: 52%;
- Pesticide free: 36%;
- Organic: 34%;
- Preservative free: 33%;
- Non-GMO: 29%;
- Transparency: (origin, grower process): 24%;
- Local: 21%;
- Vegetarian: 14%; and
- None of the above: 8%.
When consumers were asked what packaging solutions they preferred, they answered:
- Recyclable: 49%;
- Biodegradable: 48%; and
- Compostable: 2%.
When asked if consumers are willing to pay more for bio-based packaging, The Packer’s survey of all consumers found this willingness:
- No premium: 38%;
- 5% to 10% more: 31%;
- 11% to 15% more: 19%;
- 16% to 20% more: 9%; and
- Don’t know: 3%.
Consumers who indicate that sustainability is a top priority were more willing to pay a premium for bio-based packaging, with the results indicating:
- No premium: 16%;
- 5% to 10% more: 35%;
- 11% to 15% more: 24%;
- 16% to 20% more: 17%; and
- Don’t know: 7%.
Finally, more than half of consumers who don’t identify sustainability as a top priority would pay no premium at all for bio-based packaging.
- The responses were:
- Nothing: 53%;
- 5% to 10 %: 27%;
- 11% to 15% more: 16%; and
- 16% to 20%: 4%.
