Online Shoppers Want Sustainable Packaging

Around three quarters of all online shoppers attach importance to environmentally friendly packaging. That was the result of a survey. 

76 percent of regular e-commerce shoppers in Germany find environmentally friendly packaging important or even very important. This is the key finding of an online survey carried out by Kantar Public on behalf of the Verband der Wellpappen-Industrie e. V. (Association of the Corrugated Board Industry). (VDW). Consumers who shop online also have clear ideas about the criteria that make up environmentally friendly packaging.

For 75 percent of the e-commerce customers surveyed, the complete recyclability of the material is one of the characteristics that distinguish environmentally friendly packaging. This puts this criterion in first place – closely followed by the avoidance of plastic, which 72 percent of the survey participants named. Third place is shared by two requirements: 67 percent of respondents consider packaging to be environmentally compatible, if it is no larger than the goods require. An equally high proportion of online shoppers believe that environmentally friendly packaging should be made of recycled material. 64 percent of respondents also cite a base made from renewable raw materials as a criterion. “The survey results make it clear that consumers who regularly shop online now have a whole range of demands when it comes to environmentally friendly packaging,” explains VDW Managing Director Dr. Oliver Wolfrum. “Online retailers who opt for shipping packaging made of corrugated board are making a good choice and meeting the wishes of their customers; after all, the material is fully recyclable, contributes to plastic avoidance, is based on renewable raw materials and consists of 80 percent recycled material.” The corrugated board industry is also making an increasingly important contribution in the optimal adaptation of the packaging size to the goods, in close cooperation with its customers, Wolfrum said.