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Sections |
| Title |
|---|
| OVERVIEW |
| Overview 1 |
| Catalyst 1 |
| Catalyst |
| Summary |
| Summary 1 |
| Table of Contents 2 |
| THE FUTURE DECODED |
| INTRODUCTION: Packaging is a vital component of contemporary CPG brands and the emergence of sustainability compounds this reality |
| Table of figures 3 |
| Table of tables 4 |
| Sustainable packaging can mean a number of things, particularly as it is an evolving concept |
| Environmental consequences is one of a number of issues to be addressed in packaging |
| THE FUTURE DECODED 5 |
| INTRODUCTION: Packaging is a vital component of contemporary CPG brands and the emergence of sustainability compounds this reality 5 |
| Sustainability is an issue the packaging industry is taking seriously but could do more to embrace |
| Political interest has further driven the cause of sustainable packaging |
| Sustainable |
| Reduce, reuse, recycle is a message of growing importance that brands must recognize |
| TREND: Ethics and ecological concerns drive the move towards sustainable packaging |
| Ethicality and sustainability are associated with a sense of wellbeing |
| Consumers are overwhelmingly convinced of the merits of environmental concern and protection |
| The extent to which consumers are actively buying environmentally friendly products does not reflect their stated concern for the environment |
| Key takeouts and implications: acting in an ecologically responsible manner is a key draw for consumers that brands need to follow with increasingly sustainable forms of packaging |
| TREND: The global economic downturn is having, and will continue to have, an impact on sustainable packaging issues |
| The global economic downturn will compel producers to be more efficient in packaging |
| In some instances, recycling has become less commercially attractive in the global economic downturn |
| Trading down may mean fewer purchases of packaged food and drinks while additional value consciousness is like to make consumers more sensitive to package shrinkage tactics |
| Key takeouts and implications: reducing packaging footprints also has additional revenue boosting benefits beyond satisfying changing consumer expectations |
| INSIGHT: Sustainable packaging fits well with consumers desire to de-clutter |
| Almost three quarters of consumers globally would like to live a less complicated lifestyle |
| Key takeouts and implications: consumers are very much interested in streamlining their lives to make life simpler and less cluttered, and this is a need that more sustainable forms of packaging can capitalize on |
| INSIGHT: Localism and online shopping are key consumer trends with implications for sustainable packaging |
| The importance of the link between sustainable packaging and localism becomes apparent wherever examples of over-packaging in supermarket aisles are visible |
| Consumers in India, Australia and France are most likely to value local grocery products |
| Localism matters more to consumers as they enter later life stages |
| Online grocery shopping potentially offers another route to drive sustainable packaging options |
| Key takeouts and implications: local production and consumerism has the potential to reduce the need for long-distance transport and packaging, making all goods consumed under such a trend more sustainable |
| INSIGHT: Consumers take good packaging design for granted, showing only mild interest |
| Younger consumers are more influenced by packaging design when buying groceries |
| Packaging has a greater influence on grocery purchases in the BRIC countries |
| Consumers take the role of brand image for granted |
| Key takeouts and implications: the relative indifference that consumers show towards packaging design suggests that sustainable packaging benefits could take on added importance from a branding perspective |
| INSIGHT: Consumers believe that grocery products are excessively packaged but their behavioral response does not fully reflect this perception |
| There is a widespread perception among global citizens that grocery products are over-packaged |
| Agreement that grocery products are over-packaged does not necessarily translate into deep rooted concern for purchases made at the category level |
| Many consumers report considering alternatives when they perceive a product has too much packaging |
| Issues surrounding packaging and waste are comparatively lower down the list of environmental concerns and basic product attributes of influence, which partly explains the attitude behavior gap |
| Younger consumers are most likely to have altered their behavior in 2008 |
| Some consumers are willing to pay more for environmental packaging, which reflects its growing importance |
| Key takeouts and implications: consumers feel that grocery packaging is excessive and are making consumption adjustments in response so producers must react to ensure packaging is more sustainable |
| INSIGHT: The desire for more product information and the need to feel confident in product safety potentially conflicts with the desire for less packaging |
| Consumers are more aware of the environmental and social impact of the manufacturing process than ever before and therefore aspire for sustainable products that align with their environmental concerns. In recognition of this, industry players are now incorporating sustainability into every aspect of the manufacturing and production cycles, ranging from how materials are sourced to how materials are ultimately used and disposed of. However, there are several contradictions relating to labeling and packaging: |
| The growing interest in labeling highlights the importance of health and wellness and knowing the details |
| Good packaging ensures that products are moved from source or production to their destination in the best possible condition |
| Key takeouts and implications: sustainable packaging does bring other potential compromises |
| ACTION POINTS |
| ACTION: Ensure that all the routes towards sustainable packaging are evaluated and contribute to broader efforts to educate consumers |
| Make decisions that work for individual companies, brands and regions, but try to adopt a broad approach |
| Explore the possible future rewards derived from the vast range of sustainable packaging tactics that exist |
| Commit to measurable sustainable packaging goals |
| Educate consumers to increase awareness and add impact to the changes being made |
| ACTION: Maximize the potential of packaging as a vehicle to communicate an ethicality or sustainability message |
| Use packaging to highlight brands ethical credentials, particularly sustainability-themed causes that it supports |
| ACTION: Look for opportunities to reduce packaging footprints by reducing materials |
| Test the impact of ergonomic adjustments and try to communicate packaging reduction with broader functionality benefits such as saving space |
| Some forms of sustainable packaging need customer buy-in, in order to work properly |
| Light-weighting is a specific approach towards reducing material footprints |
| Do not compound portion shrinking with wasteful packaging and be careful about consumer backlash to package shrink more generally |
| Actual product formulation innovation can also potentially drive sustainable packaging efforts through material reduction while also creating a more justifiable reason for package shrink |
| The concentration of products into smaller packs possibly highlights the problem of greenwashing in touting sustainable packaging efforts |
| Develop packaging solutions that facilitate more environmentally friendly ingredient formulations |
| Target specific gifting occasions and products as these are often times of intensified focus in the media |
| Recognize that waste reduction also extends to the core product and not just the packaging materials |
| Material savings can also be a broader goal of the wider advertising industry as initiatives such as paperless coupons demonstrate |
| ACTION: Consider biodegradable packaging alternatives |
| Using biodegradable materials can help reduce usage of plastic, especially in convenience channels |
| Recognize that bio-plastics are also open to criticism |
| ACTION: Incorporate more reusability and returnability into packaging |
| Obtain inspiration from business models and product concepts that promote package re-use |
| Consider deposit and return schemes to encourage consumers to be more conscious in post-usage |
| Make more packaging reusable by design |
| Use refills only where appropriate |
| Industry commentators predict the carton will be the wine packaging of the future |
| Support consumer efforts to recycle |
| ACTION: Combine sustainability with traditional core packaging elements |
| Ensure that sustainable packaging is a supporting feature and that sustainable packaging facilitates other more important benefits |
| ACTION: Monitor the inevitable progress made in sustainable packaging innovation using Datamonitor s Product Launch Analytics |
| APPENDIX |
| Additional data |
| Definitions |
| Methodology |
| Further reading and references |
| Online resources/databases |
| Ask the analyst |
| Datamonitor consulting |
| Disclaimer |
