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02.18.2009

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Sustainability: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility

Sustainability: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility is the definitive roadmap plotting consumer behavior and purchases in the new culture of sustainability and adjusting to new economic realities.

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For more Hartman Group articles on SUSTAINABILITY, click here...

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06.04.2008 "The Sustainability Gap"

04.22.2008 "The Consumer Side of Sustainability"

09.12.2007 "Making Sustainability Matter"

05.24.2007 "Sustainability: Pathways to a Brand Halo"

05.23.2007 "Sustainability: The Corporate Tie-Breaker"

05.22.2007 "Sustainability: What's Green Now?"

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Packaging’s Long Green Tail

A packaging executive at Procter & Gamble was recently quoted in Packaging World as saying,

“At times it does feel like packaging is becoming ‘the villain,’ when in reality it is a small player in the overall environmental footprint of the product. However, viewed through the lens of our consumers, packaging is the first thing and also the last thing that they experience with our brands. Therefore if it is important to our consumers, then it is important to us.”

We couldn’t agree more. Insights from our report, Sustainability: The Rise of Consumer Responsibility, show that while sustainably-oriented packaging (e.g., packaging that make use of recycled materials, can be repurposed or shows a reduction of packaging) is quickly becoming a consumer expectation — it is not a primary purchase motivator. Ultimately a product’s essential make-up (such as ingredients) most strongly influences perceptions of its sustainability and motivates purchase. Yet, especially in fast moving categories, such as beverages, high frequency packaging use and disposal has translated toward awareness of brands and companies embracing — or not embracing — what are now viewed as first steps in sustainability practices.

Back-End Packaging Considerations Are Most Understood

Since awareness of packaging is so personally tied to the daily lives of consumers in terms of use and disposal, it follows that individuals understand sustainable packaging primarily in terms of its back-end environmental impacts (what happens to the packaging after they use the product at home). Front-end issues, such as energy used in production, are less understood. For example, a discussion about energy savings gained through use of aseptic packaging was unknown to most sustainability consumers. Interestingly, consumers say that the most sustainable packaging is “no packaging at all.” However, in product categories where packaging is necessary for transportation, product protection of the product, or use, sustainable packaging ideally reflects six attributes:

Recyclable: Packaging made from paper, glass, metals, and plastic that can be recycled by consumers through conventional (curb-side) recycling are preferred.
Minimal packaging: Packaging that features less head space, fewer layers, and less content
Made from recycled materials: Products made from recycled materials go one step further than simply being recyclable.
Re-useable: Items that can be repurposed connect to environmental sustainability pathways through notions of decreased waste.
Biodegradable: While many consumers do not understand the technical aspects of biodegradation, they have vague notions that certain “things take a long time to break down.” Most consumers consider plastic materials the worst offender because they perceive them as never fully degrading.
Compostable: As composting is an activity further along the adoption pathway in the World of Sustainability, most individuals are only vaguely aware of compostable packaging. Even for consumers most intensely involved in the World who view compostable packaging as the most sustainable option available, it is only “nice to have” — a value-added attribute, and not a purchase driver.

The importance of these packaging attributes may vary for different consumer segments depending on where they fall in the World of Sustainability. However, we find that among all consumers recycled/recyclable packaging content as well as reducing the amount of packaging is an important first step for manufacturers. In addition to these attributes, consumers who are moderately or intensely involved in the World of Sustainability are apt to look at additional distinctions when evaluating packaging and look for items that can be repurposed and eventually “return to the earth.” As Figure 1 details, when asked about preferred packaging characteristics of the products they buy, back-end issues, such as recyclability and being biodegradable are of greater importance, followed by attributes such as reusability and compostability.

Take Away

While it’s the intrinsic contents or use of a product that determines a purchase, consumers within the World of Sustainability (who make up 88% of our population) view sustainable packaging options as “simple” measures that all manufacturers can take; therefore, it is a minimum requirement for all products, even if the products themselves don’t resonate as sustainable. As consumers become increasingly engaged with sustainability behaviors and the social life of products, earth-friendly packaging is the first price of entry for manufacturers attempting to create a more environmentally responsible halo. Packaging enhancements also present unique opportunities to surprise and delight consumers lulled into low expectations by commoditized sizes, shapes and designs. In the long run, when combined with other corporate citizenship strategies (e.g., community, economic, social), a thoughtful focus on earth-friendly packaging may indeed be a significant influence on the tail that wags the green dog.

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