A Snapshot: The Consumer Lens on Packaging 2021

Consumer advocacy provides a snapshot on ‘The Consumers Lens on Packaging 2021’

As a contribution to Earth Day 2021, Consumers International supported nine of their consumer advocacy members to provide a snapshot of the current consumer experience when purchasing products and the sustainability choices that they are faced with. Inspired by Which? research, assessments were conducted on the packaging of 11 internationally available branded products across nine countries in India, United Kingdom, Brazil, Australia, New Zealand, Portugal, France, Malaysia, and Hong Kong.

Packaging is a constant part of daily life for all consumers. Whilst this allows for fresh and portable products, the rise of single-use packaging, especially those made from plastic, is having disastrous effect on the environment and our health. 

Did you know nearly 74% of consumers in Europe, the United States, and South America are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging? However, the snapshot uncovers that unequal access to adequate recycling infrastructure across and within countries fails consumers who are often motivated and willing to recycle.

Across all the products tested, the snapshot found that:

• Recycling is not working: Consumers in all nine countries are unable to easily recycle all products in practice. On average, 35% of the packaging weight across all 11 products is not easily recycled in practice, even for consumers who are motivated to recycle. 
• Burden of responsibility: No product was labelled clearly across all nine countries. There was misleading, unclear, and confusing labelling leaving consumers with limited choice at purchase and at recycling.
• Unequal access: Packaging recyclability and labelling information varied across the nine countries. There is a vast difference in how easy it is to recycle the 11 product’s packaging in practice across the nine countries. 
• Voluntary commitments: Progress towards sustainable packaging is inconsistent. Companies can help make recycling in practice easier for consumers by upholding their commitments.
• Recyclability in practice: In some cases, products were labelled as recyclable, but not recyclable in practice. To be truly sustainable, the full journey of the product must be taken into account.

Now is a critical time to address the sustainability of everyday packaging. The marketplace must respond effectively to consumers’ desire for change in making the sustainable choice easier for all. It should no longer fall on the shoulders of consumers to make decisions, based on poor and confusing packaging information.

Companies, governments, and standard setters must apply a consumer rights lens to deliver a safer, fairer, and more sustainable marketplace for all. 

Read the snapshot here: https://www.consumersinternational.org/media/368746/packaging-research-project.pdf