Are people influenced by Sustainable Packaging?

There are many different needs and uses for packaging everywhere you go. Packaging is an essential for containing products and giving them extra protection, especially for products that have been bought online and get sent through the post. There are lots of different materials that can used for packaging: plastic, glass, paper, cardboard, aluminium, and many more.

Historically, plastic was the number one material choice for packaging, as it is cheap, durable, versatile, and lightweight, accounting for over 40% of packaging globally. More recently though, sustainable packaging has become increasingly more popular, as many brands are switching from plastic packaging to paper and cardboard in the name of sustainability.

But are consumers influenced by sustainable packaging when choosing to buy a product?

Although some plastics can be recycled, it is not as widely recycled as other materials that are becoming more popular, like paper and cardboard. In a Two-Sides survey, 70% of consumers say that they are actively taking steps to reduce their use of plastic packaging, replacing it with materials that are sustainable. 48% of consumers also said that they would avoid retailers that are not actively trying to reduce their use of non-recyclable plastic packaging, showing the importance of sustainable packaging.

Corrugated and paper packaging is 100% recyclable, with 74% of paper and 83% of paper-based packaging is recycled into new products. There is no wonder why consumers are choosing companies that encourage sustainability with their packaging by reducing the use of plastic.

According to a survey carried out by the Charted Institute of Marketing, featuring 2000 adults in the UK, 82% of people believe that companies use too much packaging, online and instore. Similarly to this, in a Two-Sides survey, 73% of consumers said that they prefer products that are ordered online to be delivered in fitting packaging, and not packaging that is too large. Using too much packaging can not only impact the environment negatively, but it can also damage the reputation of a company, with 30% of respondents saying that the use of too much packaging would put them off buying from that company again.

These findings suggest that using as little packaging as possible can be beneficial in many ways and is something that consumers are aware of when buying products, diverting them away from companies that use too much packaging.

In a Two Sides survey, they found that out of all packaging products, consumers ranked paper bags as the highest for having positive environmental factors, with 52% of people saying it is because of its recyclability, 47% of people saying it’s because of its composability and 43% of people saying that it is because it is made with renewable materials.

Although not everyone is yet influenced by sustainable packaging when looking to buy products instore or online, the awareness towards it is becoming increasingly more important to consumers and the recognition is growing every year. Being aware of sustainability and using sustainable packaging is becoming more valuable to companies, as using plastic packaging or too much packaging can cause a negative reputation for not only the environmental but your business too.

Take a look at some of our sustainable packaging here