The importance of sustainability is rising across demographics and across shopper groups. Consumers want to make sustainability-focused choices. PwC’s 2024 Voice of the Consumer Survey found that 80% of consumers are willing to pay more for sustainable produced or sourced goods and some consumers are willing to pay on average 9.7% more for goods that meet specific environmental criteria, including those made from recycled or eco-friendly materials and produced in a supply chain with a lower carbon footprint. Consumers want to do more for the environment. They are willing to recycle, but to move from intention to action they need brands and corporations to help educate them on the correct ways to recycle.

Sealed Air conducted a consumer protective packaging sustainability study that examined US consumers’ thoughts on e-commerce packaging and on pack communications. Our study found:

• Most consumers associate sustainability with recycling.

• The majority of recyclers are utilizing at-home recycling programs as their default channel to process their e-commerce packaging.

• There has been a statistically significant shift towards heavier reuse and in-store recycling programs.

• Waste mitigation is becoming more top of mind for consumers by seeking solutions that minimize the amount of packaging utilized, use recycled content or renewable materials, and offer re-use opportunities.

Consumers want clear instructions on where/how to recycle, so brands should consider adding a website, QR code or phone number for consumers to learn more. 47% of consumers have seen a How2Recycle (H2R) label on e-commerce packaging. For any type of package, consumers are more interested in seeing disposal instructions than environmental impact details or information about the materials used.

person placing paper bubble mailer into a recycle bin

Consumers were confused with symbols alone, so the combination of graphics, text and colors will help the message stand out. In addition, they would like to know alternative disposal options, including store drop-off or ideas on how to reuse the packaging. Consumers also want to learn more about the type of material used, for instance, whether it is coated plastic, foam, paper, etc. as this may not always be clear to the consumer.

Consumers are increasingly making conscious purchasing decisions with the environment in mind; however more needs to be done to educate consumers on where and how to recycle packaging.

Sustainability and E-Commerce Packaging

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