Despite a year of unprecedented disruption, new data reveals that consumer demand for sustainable packaging continues to grow, led by a younger generation who are overwhelmingly willing to pay more for packaging that they consider to be eco-friendly.

Trivium Packaging has published its 2021 Buying Green Report in partnership with Boston Consulting Group, surveying more than 15,000 participants across Europe, North America, and South America on their behaviours related to sustainable packaging, including willingness to pay more for eco-friendly packaging, and perceptions of different packaging materials.

Key findings conclude that overall consumer demand for sustainable packaging remains high despite the major impact COVID-19 had globally. 

67% of consumers identified as  environmentally aware, consistent with last year’s report. Additionally, 67% of those surveyed identified packaging that is recyclable as important, 64% identified packaging that contains recycled content as a priority in their buying decisions and fewer than 1 in 3 consumers de-prioritised sustainable packaging due to COVID-19.

“No event in recent memory has had as much impact on consumer behaviour as COVID-19 yet the majority of consumers did not de-prioritise sustainability in the face of the pandemic, a true testament to the unwavering sustainability movement led by young consumers” said CEO Michael Mapes. 

But while consumer awareness of environmental impact, pollution and harmful materials to the planet remains high, the study points to an alarming consumer misconception: a gap between actual material recyclability and consumer perceptions of it. 

Metal, for example, is recycled at a much higher rate (64%) than perceived by the consumer (48%) while glass, plastic and liquid cartons all have a much lower rate of recycling (32%, 14%, 26%) than that perceived by the consumer (65%, 41%, 65% respectively).

For the full report, visit the Trivium website.

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