Over-packaged goods are emerging as a major concern for consumers worldwide, promoting the growth of the sustainable packaging segment, according to multiple reports.

Consumers are becoming increasingly concerned about ecological matters, especially packaging, though few will admit sustainable packaging influences their decision-making, a new report from market analyst Datamonitor says.

According to the Datamonitor report, based on a survey conducted in the second half of 2008, 34 percent of American respondents were concerned about excessively packaged goods, slightly below the global average of 44 percent. Meanwhile, 35 percent of the respondents from the United States said they would seek alternative products if their first choice was overly packaged. Only 17 percent, however, said their purchasing decisions were significantly influenced by packaging.

Of the 15 countries surveyed, U.S. consumers fell towards the lower end of concern. Consumers in the United Kingdom were much more likely to be concerned about over-packaging (60 percent), followed by China (56 percent) and India (53 percent). France (51 percent), Germany (45 percent) and Italy (46 percent) were the top three countries with consumers who said they would seek alternative products if their brand of choice had excessive packaging.

Although U.K. consumers were the most concerned about over-packaging, less than half would change their buying habits. Although still in the top 10, only 40 percent of the U.K. respondents would seek alternate products.

“Sustainable packaging has the potential to become the new breakthrough consumer issue of its time, in the same way as organic food or fair-trade products a decade or so previously,” Matthew Adams, consumer analyst at Datamonitor and author of the report, told Manufacturers’ Monthly last week. “Consumers’ relationship with packaging in many ways is complex because few will admit to its importance because it is often taken for granted, but increasing consumer concern about ecological matters means packaging is an issue that is rising to prominence.

“This makes for startling reading for consumer brands if half of their customers could be lost due to sustainable packaging concerns,” Adams continued. “Sustainable packaging need not only be seen as a worthy environmental issue but more so as a ‘win-win situation’ where consumers, producers and the environment all reap the benefits.”

Furthermore, retooling packaging to be more sustainable can be a more credible way to make cost savings without having to resort to “package shrink” or “portion shrink” where a smaller amount of the product is sold at the same price, Datamonitor notes. (See: Backlash Against Deceptive and Excessive Packaging)

Other recent reports echo Datamonitor’s findings. For instance, E.I. DuPont Nemours and Co. estimates that sustainable packaging will grow 25 percent to 30 percent per year while the packaging industry in general is only anticipated to have a 4 percent annual growth rate. The rapid growth of the sustainable packaging segment is attributed to consumer demand.

According to a DuPont survey last year, 44 percent of consumers said their green buying habits remained unchanged even months after the recession officially began. Also, a third of consumers said they were more likely to buy green, DuPont reports.

In a Packaging Digest survey of 1,163 packaging professionals late last year, 53 percent of respondents said that more than half of their customers seek eco-friendly packaging. (See: Need-to-Know Pack Trends)

Along with consumers’ buying attitudes, municipalities around the world are also contributing to the push for sustainable packaging. Across Canada and the U.S., local governments are proposing to ban polystyrene containers while Beijing has already banned the use of plastic bags, Packaging Digest reports. The U.K. recently announced a new plan to improve recyclability and recycling, as well as considering a ban on aluminum and glass packaging in landfills.

According to a recent study from Pike Research, sustainable packaging is forecast to grow to 32 percent of the total global packaging market by 2014.

Resources

Sustainable Packaging Trend Gathering Pace
Datamonitor, July 6, 2009

Sustainable Packaging Identified as a Brand Loyalty Issue
Manufacturers’ Monthly, July 6, 2009

DuPont Solutions to Today’s Trends for Sustainable Packaging Fact Sheet
DuPont, March 28, 2008

Sustainable Packaging Usage Expected to Grow 25-30 Percent Annually
Packaging Digest, July 13, 2009

Survey Says Sustainability is Gaining Importance
Packaging Digest, Nov. 24, 2008

One-Third of All Packaging Materials to be Eco-Friendly by 2014
Pike Research, May 19, 2009