The Flexible Packaging Association (FPA) has released a new infographic which illustrates that consumers are conscious about packaging sustainability.

The infographic helps to summarize the new FPA sustainability report, Perspectives on the Meaning of Sustainability in Flexible Packaging. The report explores how flexible packaging lends itself to brand owners’ ability to establish a reputation for environmental stewardship. FPA conducted a 2018 Sustainability Study to better understand perspectives on sustainability and packaging among both consumers and brand owners. The study integrates insights from brand owners surveyed online in June 2018 by Packaging World and insights from an online survey of U.S. consumers conducted by The Harris Poll in July 2018.

The survey results indicate that 83% of consumers say they understand the meaning of sustainability; 65% of consumers think sustainability is at least a very important attribute of packaging for products sold both in-store and online; and 86% of consumers care about sustainability in general.

Sustainable packaging matters to consumers. Eighty-two percent of consumers say they care about the sustainability aspects of packaging; 79% of consumers say they prefer products that are in sustainable packaging over ones that are not; and 72% of consumers say they trust labels that include sustainability benefits on product packaging.

Younger generations are more likely to believe that flexible packaging is sustainable, and this opens the door for the “Millennial Opportunity.” Millennials say it’s extremely important or absolutely essential that product packaging has a sustainable lifecycle (33%); is manufactured with less energy (33%); and has been transported efficiently (32%). According to survey responses, 36% of millennials say they always or often actively seek out products in sustainable packaging; 37% promote the benefits of sustainable packaging to others; and 37% check packaging labels for sustainability information.