Consumer Demand for Sustainable Packaging

-Orginally written for SmashBrand

If you could point out the “boogeyman” of the modern era, what would it be? Aside from COVID-19—which might take the title at the moment—it would probably have to be plastic. With visions of sea turtles trapped by plastic rings and straws filling whales’ stomachs, consumers are quickly turning their backs on the evils of plastic and turning to more sustainable, environmentally friendly packaging options.

Sustainable packaging has been one of the fastest-growing trends in the packaging world. In fact, the sustainable packaging market is expected to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 6% through 2027, with many companies pledging to use 100% recycled packaging in the next few years.

So, if more consumers are refusing to buy products in unsustainable packaging, what exactly do they want? Like any good hostage situation, here’s a detailed list of their demands, so you can keep up with the sustainability trend.

What Customers Want to See from Packaging

How do you learn what consumers want? Ask them! In a recent study that included consumers from ten countries, participants were asked how concerned they were about the environmental impact of product packaging. Approximately 55% of participants said they were either extremely or very concerned.

Consumers are so interested in sustainable packaging that 60 to 70% said they’d be willing to pay more for a product if it came in sustainable packaging, and around 35% even said they would buy more sustainably packaged products if they could find them in the stores.

What this means for producers is that if you provide sustainable packaging solutions, even if they’re a bit more expensive, there’s a good possibility you can capture a larger market share!

Factors that Impact Purchase Decisions

Although consumers made it very clear that they’re interested in sustainable packaging, it might not be the most important factor when making purchasing decisions.

Participants in the study were also asked about the importance of other factors like price and ease of use. When all the different factors were ranked from most important to least important, the chart came to some surprising conclusions:

1. Hygiene and food safety
2. Shelf life
3. Ease of use
4. Durability
5. Information on the label
6. Appearance
7. Environmental impact

As you can see, despite 55% of people being extremely or very concerned, environmental impact landed at the bottom of the list. Now, that doesn’t mean it’s not important; it just means it’s not as important as the other factors.

For example, 77% of participants put hygiene and food safety at the top of their list, 67% said shelf life, and 61% said ease of use. All of which have a higher percentage than environmental impact.

But just because environmental impact is bringing up the rear doesn’t mean it’s not important. Most of the other factors like hygiene, appearance, and ease of use should already be considered in your overall packaging strategy. Think of environmental impact as the cherry on top of your already-awesome packaging. It’s what could separate your beautiful, safe, and easy-to-use packaging from a competitor’s beautiful, safe, and easy-to-use packaging.

How to Make Sustainable Packaging More Desirable to Consumers

Based on the factors that impact buying decisions, you can’t just use sustainable packaging and expect a big rise in sales. If you make an ugly package that falls apart the minute someone touches it, it won’t matter if it’s made with sustainable products; nobody is going to buy it.

Even with environmentally friendly, sustainable packaging, you still need to make your packaging attractive, safe, easy-to-use, and implement the latest packaging design trends.

In addition to using the best packaging design techniques, it also helps if you make it obvious that your packaging is made with sustainable resources. From the same study, 36% said they would buy more sustainably packaged products if they were better labeled.

Show off that your products are packaged with sustainable materials! If consumers don’t know that your packaging is sustainable, it’s no different from the plastic packaging sitting next to it. Put it in big letters, add a large sticker, or use earth-tones in your design scheme to show off how “green” your packaging really is. The easier it is for consumers to tell that you use sustainable packaging, the better.

Sustainable Packaging Trends for the Future

It’s clear that consumers want sustainable packaging, but which types of sustainable packaging do they look for? According to the study, consumers don’t appear to have strong, specific preferences about the type of sustainable packaging, just as long as it’s sustainable.

There are, however, a few trends that will likely impact the future of sustainable packaging:

• Consumers are generally equally interested in fiber-based packaging as they are recycled and recyclable plastic. As long as the packaging can be recycled, made of recycled materials, or responsibly disposed of, consumers are happy with it. Specific preferences change based on the end use of the product. For example, plastic in any form is less desirable for beverages, but there’s a strong demand for recycled plastic on dairy products.
• If you still use plastic in your packaging, consumers want to see higher levels of recycled content. They also want all plastic to be recyclable.
• There’s an expectation for more compostable packaging to enter the market.

Sustainable materials are the future of packaging. To keep up with consumer demand, use biodegradable materials like cardboard or paper or recycled or recyclable plastic. If it’s good for the environment, it’ll be good for your sales numbers.

Implement Sustainable Materials into Your Packaging Strategy

Product packaging is a huge part of marketing, and the key to good marketing is appealing to the interests of the people. There’s no doubt that consumers are quickly becoming more environmentally minded, and that includes for their product packaging.

The packaging market has been moving toward sustainability for years. Gone are the days of single-use plastic. Now, consumers are demanding fiber-based products and recycled materials. If you want to give consumers what they want, perhaps it’s time to introduce sustainable materials into your packaging strategy.

If you need help designing or implementing sustainable product packaging, talk to the experts at SmashBrand. We can help you get your designs off the ground and perform packaging design testing to help your products stand out on the shelves. Let’s talk about your ambitions; contact us today.