November 2019
Featured in this insight: Climate change & environment, Consumer goods & FMCG , Environment & sustainability, Food & drink, Retail
82% shoppers think plastic packaging needs to to be reduced 'drastically': A nationally representative survey of shoppers has found that eight out of 10 (82%) believe that the amount of plastic packaging used to wrap food and drink products drastically needs to change.
The poll of 2,003 UK shoppers by retail app, Ubamarket found that when it comes to pointing the finger at those responsible for causing the most plastic pollution, over three-quarters of respondents (75%) blamed food manufacturers and supermarkets.
The research also suggests that people are becoming increasingly open to paying more for a product if it is environmentally packaged or has less impact on the environment, with 44% saying they look for products that do not contribute to environmental issues negatively. However not all shoppers feel able to buy the environmentally-kind products despite wanting to, with 65% saying the pricetag is a barrier for them as these products are often significantly more costly.
Also revealed in the survey was that more needs to be done to educate shoppers about the recycling options available to them. Four in ten (42%) said they want to make more informed choices when it comes to buying environmentally sound goods, but their knowledge is limited.
Ubamarket CEO and founder Will Broome said of the findings:
“New forms of plastics and packaging, along with the right education, if adopted by retailers, will help cement the UK as a driving force in sustainability and reduce our single-use reliance drastically in the coming years."
View more of our sector specific insights: Climate change & environment, Consumer goods & FMCG, Environment & sustainability, Food & drink, Retail
