Recycled plastic packaging - the consumer’s view

Material : Plastic

The research – background

Research into consumer attitudes to buying household products in packaging made from recycled plastic had never been carried out before

Increasing interest from retailers and the packaging industry in using recycled plastic

Participants were unaware of the purpose of the research

Undertaken by independent research organisation in spring 2005

The research – objectives

To establish consumer attitudes to the concept of buying household products (food & non-food) in packaging made from recycled plastic

To explore whether consumer views of using products with recycled plastic packaging would vary:

by brandown brand or between food and non-food

Quantitative

Hall tests

460 responses gathered in February 2005

Aged 18 to 75+

Two thirds female

Fair representation of shoppers across a

range of household products

Mixture of two and three person households

across four, geographically-spread locations

Bristol/Bath; Bracknell; Redditch and

Bolton

The research - Quantitative

Qualitative2 focus groups1 group – 25-34-year-olds1 group – 35-49-year-oldsAll BC1 social grade Actual buyers of specified household products

The research - Qualitative

The research – the scope

General shopping habits

Packaging messages

Motivations to purchase

Plastic packaging

Attitudes to recycling

Recycled plastics in packaging

The products shown:

1. Soft drinks - Coca Cola2. Sandwiches – Boots3. Smoothie – Innocent Smoothie4. Salad - Boots5. Body lotion – Body Shop6. After-shave – Lynx7. Baby lotion – Johnson & Johnson8. Washing up liquid – Fairy Liquid9. Bathroom cleaner – Sainsbury own brand10. Fabric conditioner – Comfort11. Bleach – Sainsbury own brand12. Engine oil – Castrol

It is immediately apparent that people take much

more care and are much more interested in the

detail when purchasing food products

Consumers as a whole do not tend to take a great

deal of notice of what a particular pack is made of

until it is time to dispose of it - and even then only

61% claim to consider this an issue

Labels and packaging

Labels

54 52

4341

3330

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Yoghurt Pre-packedsandw iches

Shampoo Carbonateddrinks

Show er/bathgel

Washing upliquid

Those reading all of, or part of, the label;

Packaging

When purchasing or when in use, the issues they claim they think about most are:

8276

6964

38 35

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

Wastefulpackaging

How easythe pack is to

open

Whether thepack is easy

to hold

More eff icientw ays todispense

Packs thatw ill look good

What thepack is made

of

Mistaken belief?

58% of consumers assume that plastic containers have recycled plastic in them

But over a quarter (29%) never look at anything other than the name and basic description … this rises for household goods to nearly half (48%)

But when asked how good or bad it would be if packaging contained recycled plastic

Overwhelmingly positive

… the answer was most definitely positive

86% of consumers felt it would be good if packaging contained recycled plastic

Should packaging contain recycled plastic?

59

27

13

1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

%

Very good Quite good Not sure Quite bad Very bad

Better than that …it would enhance brand reputations

4430

25

1

0102030405060708090

100

%

Do you think that, generally speaking, using recycled plastic in its packaging enhances or damages the reputation of a retailer or

manufacturer?

74% felt that the reputation of a retailer or manufacturer would beenhanced if its products’ packaging were made from recycled plastic

Strongly enhances

Enhances a little

Doesn’t change it

Damagesa little

Damagesa lot

78% of respondents said they would feel more positive about a product or manufacturer whose packs were made of recycled plastic

Creates a feel-good factor

46

32

21

10

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Much more positive A little more positive No different Little more negative

If I told you that these packs were made of recycled plastic, how would you feel about the product and manufacturer?

Likelihood to buy … increases

20

2522

25 2528

0

5

10

15

20

25

30

%

Food & drink Toiletries Domestic

Very much more inclined A little more inclined

Food & drink products - 45% more inclined to buy

Toiletries - 47% more inclined to buy

Domestic/household products - 53% more inclined to buy

Inclination to buy products packaged in recycled plastic …1

54

46

0

5247

1

5247

1

5147

20

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Washing up liquid Bleach Bathroom cleaner Fabric conditioner

More inclined Wouldn't alter likelihood Less inclined

Inclination to buy products packaged in recycled plastic …2

5049

1

48 49

3

4752

1

46

52

20

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Body lotion Smoothie After-shave Baby lotion

More inclined Wouldn't alter likelihood Less inclined

Inclination to buy products packaged in recycled plastic …3

45

53

2

4549

6

44

53

3

4550

5

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Engine oil Sandwiches Coca Cola Salad

More inclined Wouldn't alter likelihood Less inclined

Focus group feelings

In focus groups some people quickly claimed they

would consciously choose the recycled pack – all

things being equal

Most people need to feel they are doing good

“We are all recycling and not really seeing what

the end product is”

Brands and retailers that promote how they are

using recycled material can gain brand loyalty …

and even switch customers

It’s already happening –and if consumers knew that …

Some well-known brands are already using recycled plastic in their packaging – if consumers knew this:

53% say they would be more inclined to buy their products

30% very much more inclined

23% would be a little more inclined

43% say they would not be affected at all

… they would be buying

53

44

3

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

%

Moreinclined

Wouldn’talter the

likelihood

A little lessinclined

Some of the products you were shown earlier (cola, smoothie, sandwiches, skin/cream lotion, bleach and engine oil) are already available in containers made of recycled plastic, how inclined would you be to buy a well-known brand of these products now?

Could they tell the difference

The respondents were shown three empty clear plastic containers with three levels of recycled content. 0%, 15% and 50%.

The packs were placed on a piece of white paper

No comment or introduction was made to the respondent beyond being asked the following question –

“Is there any difference between these packs?”

65% of people could not tell there were anydifferences between packs … regardless of the amount of recycled plastic

they contained… and they were looking at empty packaging on a plain white background

Of the 35% who said they could tell the difference between the packs, a variety of minor differences were identified

No, they couldn’t!

Reaction to samples in focus groups

Most people ‘didn’t have a clue’ which product was made of recycled plastic and which wasn’t

Only when they were asked to look long and hard at the samples did they start to see a difference

They described the packs with a 50% content as having a slight ‘tint’

Reaction to buying products packed in 50% recycled plastic

82

4 4 5 4

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

%

Defwouldn't

Might not Not sure Might Defwould

“If you saw food or any other product in this type of pack, would it put you off buying it?”

What would worry consumers?

77% of people say they would not be the slightest bit

worried if packaging for food & drink, toiletries and

domestic products contained recycled plastic

Only 16% had concerns about food and drink

product packaging using recycled plastic

93% say they would assume that major brands

would ensure their products are only made in safe

packaging

Worries … by product

77

16

3 2 2 1 1

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

90

100

%

None Food Engine oil Drink Bleach Toiletries Chemicals

Which of these products would you be the slightest bit worried about buying? (Open question)

Focus group concerns

Even after intense prompting, focus group participants did not seem to have any real concerns about the use of recycled plastic in packaging, even in the case of food and baby care products

They trust the manufacturer and retailer to do nothing that would harm them and even expect brand leaders to lead the way in this initiative

90% of respondents feel manufacturers and retailers should just get on with producing packaging containing as much recycled plastic as possible

“They should just get on with it!”

Yes - 73% believe it is important that manufacturers and retailers let consumers know their packaging contains recycled plastic

Should we be told if packaging contains recycled plastic?

How important is it to you that you are made aware by manufacturers and retailers as to whether the packaging is made of recycled plastic?

40

33

712

8

0

5

1015

20

25

3035

40

4550

%

Veryimportant

Quiteimportant

Not sure Not veryimportant

Not at allimportant

How should retailers convey the message?

79% believe products with recycled plastic packaging should carry a symbol on the front of the pack indicating the fact

17% said it should appear on the rear label

10% thought it should be on the shelf or point of sale material

Upfront messaging

Focus group members felt that any message about

packaging contained recycled plastic should be

indicated on the front of the pack

As such it would be a reminder that it was part of a

‘loop’ and would therefore encourage them to

recycle for a purpose

At the moment though, they do not look for the

recycling symbol on packaging …

as there is little incentive to do so

35% - ‘Packaging made from recycled plastic’

29% - ‘Recycled plastic’

19% - ‘Packaging contains X% recycled plastic’

11% - ‘Packaging contains recycled plastic’

5% - ‘Packaging made from up to X% recycled plastic’

What should the message say?

Would it encourage recycling?

70% believe that if more packaging used recycled plastic they would be encouraged to recycle more

If you began to see a lot of products using recycled plastic in their packaging, would it encourage you to recycle more of your plastic household waste?

70

23

7

0

10

20

30

40

50

60

70

80

%

It definitely would It might It definitely wouldn't

Waste not, want not

82% are concerned about wasteful packaging

35% consider what packaging is made of when buying in store

… but 62% do consider what the pack material is made of when they come to dispose of it

In summary

Surprising that packaging is not really on consumer’s agenda … until it comes to disposal when it is high

This will increase as kerbside recycling services improve

No problems even when there is 50% recycled content and there is only a very slight difference in appearance

Conclusion

Packaging containing recycled plastic offers:A tangible consumer benefit for brands/retailersEnhances brand reputationsCreates a feel-good factorWould make more people inclined to buyPeople assume recycled plastic is already being used

and …It encourages recycling

For more information

For further information, please contact:

Peter SkeltonKey Account Manager – Brands & Suppliers

WRAPThe Old Academy21 Horse FairBanburyOxonOX16 0AHwww.wrap.org.uk