Global consumers demand smarter packaging

Global consumers are guided by product packaging in their buying behaviour, not least in India. We reject products in plastic packaging and feel guilty when we throw away plastic water bottles. We worry about the amount of packaging consumed by society, and when shopping online we might consider having goods delivered in simple standard packaging instead of the original packaging if it makes them cheaper. These are the results of an international study by Innventia, Packaging 2020, carried out in association with Kairos Future. The report describes seven global forces and their impact on the packaging industry and the packaging of the future. The conclusions are based on a survey carried out among consumers in the US, India and Sweden. A clear majority of the 1,500 respondents see major problems with society's consumption of packaging. There are particular concerns about the environmental impact of packaging in India, where 60% are prepared to go so far as to avoid purchasing a specific product if the packaging is seen to be environmentally unfriendly. The corresponding figure in Sweden is 20%. Plastic packaging is deemed to be the biggest environmental villain among Americans and Indians, while it is mainly aluminium packaging that Swedes shy away from. There are demands for tougher quality controls and stricter environmental legislation, and a clear majority of consumers in all three countries would like to see somewhat stricter or much stricter environmental legislation (News Item Innventia, 22 January 2013).