What Do Consumers Really Think About Sustainable Packaging?

According to a recent report in BrandWeek, while consumers may not purchase a product simply for its use of sustainable packaging, “a blatant disregard for it” may turn them off from it as well. As consumers’ expectations for corporate sustainability efforts continue to increase, it seems those companies who ignore the green wave may miss out on sales.

The Sustainability Outlook: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility, by the Hartman Group, interviewed 1,600 people and learned that 88 percent of consumers define themselves as participating in sustainable behaviors.

“During these tough economic times, sustainable products create that ‘sweet spot’ that make consumers more optimistic about the choices they are making,” said Alison Worthington, Hartman Group managing director of sustainability. “In many ways, the term sustainability has become synonymous with responsibility for consumers or just ‘doing the right thing’.”

Packaging made from cardboard is considered sustainable, for its ability to be easily recycled and composted. Photo: Thedieline.com

A nearly equal number of consumers believe their purchase decisions (37 percent) matter as much as their votes (45 percent). On the other hand, less than 25 percent of consumers can name a sustainable product, meaning that consumer education is still a vital tool in sustainability messages. “This represents a significant opportunity for companies to get their message out,” Worthington said.

The Hartman Group also noted that consumers are looking to move beyond “green” to further understand individual and corporate responsibility on a deeper level, and how their purchasing decisions affect these concepts.

“Many consumers feel economically empowered by their sustainable practices and with every swipe of the debit card they are increasingly selective about which companies and products they will back. Often, sustainability is the tie breaker vote in a consumer’s decision,” said Laurie Demeritt, president and COO for The Hartman Group.

The study found that the ability to have some kind of afterlife is the packaging feature that matters most, with recyclability topping the list:

• 75 percent of those surveyed ranked the ability to return a product’s vessel to the consumer marketplace via curbside bins as either “very important” or “important.”
• The feature that ranked next in packaging preference was biodegradability (71 percent).
• Both of these choices outranked the use of minimal packaging (62 percent).

Consumers were also interested in container composed of recycled content (67 percent), refillable containers (63 percent), those that are reusable for other purposes (60 percent) and compostables (51 percent).

“Consumers are increasingly aware of the back-end—where it goes when it enters their home and after they touch it,” said Alison Worthington, The Hartman Group’s managing director of sustainability. “Packaging is also a great way to communicate your sustainability message. The No. 1 thing people will respond to is how it’s disposed of—the three Rs [Reduce, Reuse, Recycle].”