Excess packaging - who really gives a damn?

Archived article dated Friday March 7th 2008

Packaging is right up there alongside queuing as one of the most important issues concerning consumers.

By Glynn Davis

According to some surveys it would seem that the amount of excess packaging used on products is regarded as the main area where retailers are letting consumers down.

Many people will have heard about some shoppers discarding what they regard as excess packaging in-store for staff to then clear up. While examples of such action are undoubtedly thin on the ground there is clearly an increasing number of shoppers who feel uncomfortable with the levels of waste packaging that they see on the goods they buy.

Some interesting stats from Nielsen in the US this week showed that the majority of Americans would give up all forms of packaging provided for convenience purposes if it would benefit the environment. They would give up packaging designed for easy transport, packaging designed for use in cooking, and packaging designed for easy stacking.

That sounds great until you find out that the same survey also found that a minority of people would be willing to give up packaging designed for other purposes such as keeping food fresher for longer or keeping products in good condition. Most damning was the revelation that 10 per cent of Americans would not give up any form of packaging to help save the environment.

Herein lies the problem for retailers and manufacturers - many consumers claim to do one thing in surveys but their actions say something completely different. In reality they don't give a damn about the environment.

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