UK consumers are making a conscious decision to buy sustainably packaged products and avoid packaging that is harmful to the environment, new research from innovation specialist MPA has found.
According to MPA, 83 per cent of shoppers support the UK government’s plastics straw ban and 32 per cent of those surveyed were making an effort to buy fewer goods with packaging that cannot be recycled. Meanwhile, 24 per cent of consumers were actively looking to buy more products made from recycled materials.
The research discovered that consumers are overwhelmingly in favour of more sustainable packaging and want to make an effort to reduce plastics waste. However, one in six (17 per cent) did not believe that the plastics pledge will make a difference to the level of waste produced. A further one in ten felt that there is no difference in plastics or paper bags in the context of the environment.
“Our research has found that consumers are shunning single use plastics and unsustainable packaging in a bid to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Stuart Bentley, delivery manager at MPA. “Arguably, the packaging industry is the sector which has had the biggest overhaul in recent years, but several companies are continuing to innovate and, as a result, are playing a leading role in offering consumers the chance to make more sustainable choices.”