Factors for Consumers to Contemplate Regarding the Adoption of Eco-Friendly Packaging

Introduction

Packaging now plays a crucial role in sustainability alongside its traditional functions of preserving product security, aiding shipping, and enabling communication. Despite recent strides in sustainable packaging, there remain chances for enhancement. Much like other businesses, the packaging sector finds itself at the intersection of environmental preservation, societal fairness, and economic developing, defining the contemporary commercial and societal landscape of the early 21st century. To bolster sustainability in the packaging value chain, efforts can be directed towards improving the collection and sorting processes for recycling, composting, reuse, and waste-to-energy processing (Nguyen et al., 2020). Additionally, there is a need for responsible removal and handling of organized packaging, along with a focus on sustainable material sourcing. The goal is to reduce substantial and supply usage while maintaining the crucial purposes of packaging. As constraints on water, land, energy, and food intensify, and issues like declining air quality and overpopulation become more pronounced, the packaging industry faces a critical juncture (Orzan et al., 2018). The choice lies between adopting more sustainable packaging practices or redirecting efforts towards fostering consumer appreciation for packaging. This aware decision can have extensive consequences, with the final selection potentially resulting in improved rules, and enforced constraints on the value chain and resources (Martinho et al., 2015). While consumer familiarity with sustainable packaging is growing, there is a lack of awareness regarding the role of food packaging in reducing food waste (Popovic et al., 2019). Scenes of ocean plastics and environmental pollution contribute to this lack of appreciation. It is important to acknowledge that the term “eco-friendly packaging” is consistently used in this discourse, even though packaging will inevitably have some environmental impact.

In response to a growing demand from consumers for sustainable initiatives driven by a recognized shared value, companies and policymakers have taken action. The challenges faced by advertising and packaging progress players, material suppliers, and consultants in balancing sustainability considerations were evident. Decision-makers grappled with issues such as cost, technical hurdles, and team coordination (Nguyen et al., 2021). Consequently, numerous ecological packaging solutions, lacking favorable economic and temporal parameters, remained unimplemented. Without clear evidence that sustainable packaging positively impacts sales or reduces costs, companies struggled to justify pursuing such initiatives despite promoting their commitment to sustainability. This disconnection between rhetoric and action, as well as between intentions and viability, hindered progress. A more effective approach emerged when defining options for food protection before assessing ecological packaging. This contrasted sharply with the common practice of selecting a packaging material and then adding essentials for product safety, which often resulted in higher costs and/or compromised product safety, leading to increased food waste (Zeng & Durif, 2019). Failure to effectively convey the essential functions and role of packaging in the food value chain led to consumers developing incomplete understandings of both packaging and sustainable packaging. This gap in understanding influenced consumer preferences, with many believing their choices were sustainable when, in reality, they were not. Various factors contributed to the limited achievement of ecological packaging solutions in the market. These included consumer resistance to unfamiliar technologies, cost concerns, regulatory challenges, insufficient item safety, manufacturing obstacles (due to sourcing or material properties), and competitive disadvantages. To address these challenges, stakeholders should gain a better knowledge of existing customer drivers guiding ecologically conscious buying choices. This understanding can inform strategies to promote sustainable consumer behaviors and build a compelling business case for the adoption of more sustainable packaging (Lan et al., 2023).