From the daily coffee, in a paper cup, to packaged foods and plastic bags in the grocery store, Germans produce the most rubbish in Europe. Every German produces about 213 kilograms of packaging waste per year. But attitudes are changing.
More and more consumers want environmentally friendly packaging for their products, but the packaging should be practical too. This is one of the conclusions that can be drawn of the most recent Consumer Barometer of KPMG, a global network of firms, and the IHF Köln, a research institute for retail issues. All recent trends in retail, trade and consumer behavior were scrutinized over 3 months. 520 representative customers were questioned in an online panel.
Especially when shopping for beverages (85%) and food (82%) consumers wanted environmentally friendly bags and boxes. Women are more environmentally aware than men, which is especially visible in the purchase of beverages (78% vs. 91%). Overall, 80% of respondents appreciated practical packaging for food (beverages 72%) such as packs with handles. The appearance of the packaging for food (57%) and beverages (42%) is less important. 60% of consumers are influenced in their daily choices by the materials used.
Over 70% of German consumers indicated that they actively choose products with less extra packaging. A large group mentioned that environmentally friendly packaging has a major influence on their shopping habits. However, market researchers state that desire and reality are probably still wide apart. Almost all respondents are positive about the end of the plastic bag in supermarkets.
Even though many consumers would like more products with less packaging, bags, packs and bottles remain important and influence their choices. Nearly a quarter of the consumers allow the packaging to influence their purchase decisions.