Momentum builds for
sustainable packaging
Trivium releases 2020 Global Buying Green Report…
According to Trivium Packaging’s 2020 Global Buying
Green Report, consumers are making their voices heard.
Sustainability is at the forefront of consumers’ and
regulators’ minds, and the challenge for consumer brands has
become clear: It’s no longer a question of if brands should shift
to more sustainable packaging, but how.
A global perspective on sustainable packaging
In a follow-up to its 2019 Buying Green report, which documented
U.S. consumers’ willingness to pay more for products in
sustainable packaging, Trivium has expanded the study. Again
conducted by the Boston Consulting Group, the 2020 Global
Buying Green Report documents the responses of 15,620 consumers
across the U.S., Europe and South America. Within each
region, survey respondents represent the population in age,
gender and income distribution. In Europe, the survey covered
the five largest markets. In South America, it focused on Brazil
and Argentina. In all regions, it covered packaging for products
for the personal care and beauty, home care, food, beverage and
industrial markets.
Sustainability goes mainstream
Delivering on the sustainable packaging mandate isn’t a matter
of appeasing a small subset of consumers. Environmentallyfriendly,
recyclable packaging is important to more than twothirds
of consumers—but does that “importance” translate to
purchasing? For the majority, it does, said Trivium.
Brands that move to sustainable and recyclable packaging and
include recycling information on their packaging help address the
needs of the majority of consumers who seek that information, plus
gain access to a large group of consumers who aren’t
even considering their products today.
Materials matter to consumers
Plastic has become pervasive in packaging, but it has a
serious image problem with consumers, according to
Trivium, who stated that 57% of consumers associate
plastic with “harmful”—80% more than metal. Only 5%
of consumers associate plastic with the word “premium,”
Would pay more...
and one in four associate it with “low quality.”
Issues with plastic extend beyond its low-quality
image and limited recyclability, noted Trivium. Plastic
pollution, particularly in oceans, has been the focus
of extensive media coverage and consumers are paying attention.
Sixty-five percent of consumers associate plastic with ocean pollution.
Based on consumer preferences and perceptions identified in this
research, consumers are seeking out eco-friendly packaging and avoiding
packaging they consider harmful.
Putting a price on sustainability
The true test of consumers’ commitment to sustainability comes
when they are asked whether they would be willing to spend more
for eco-friendly packaging. Here, the survey results are encouraging
for brands considering a move to sustainable packaging. Across the
personal care and beauty, home care, food, beverage and industrial
product categories, 74% of consumers said they would pay more
for sustainable packaging, and 25% are willing to pay an additional
10% or more. Willingness to pay was consistent across all income
categories, but how much more consumers are willing to pay correlates
positively with income.
Sustainability drives sales
The NYU Stern School of Business found that sustainability-marketed
products grew 5.6 times faster than conventionally marketed
products. Further, in more than 90% of individual product categories,
sustainability-marketed products outpaced the growth of their
categories. Consumers around the world are demanding sustainable
packaging. Brands that respond effectively with sustainable
and recyclable packaging can grow, share and enhance their image.
To see results for a specific region, visit TriviumPackaging.com/
sustainability to download the U.S., Europe or South America Buying
Green 2020 Report. Spray
August 2020 Spray 21