Does compostable food packaging make sense?

University of Reading, supported by the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a body of the European Union.

We set out to better understand consumer attitudes toward food sustainability, food waste, food packaging, and how these factors influence their food choices. Also, two different ways of communication aimed at increasing the recycling of food packaging at public events were evaluated. 

A qualitative study took place in the Citizen Participation Forum with 61 participants across 18 different countries in Europe. The participants were recruited through a professional panel. Participants completed a range of activities, including a questionnaire, photo-challenges, and took part in multiple interactive discussions. 

We found that visual cues on food packaging is crucial for consumers to assess the sustainability of food products and how they should handle packaging waste.  Still, many consumers appear to mistrust these labels. Additionally, it seems that many participants are able to identify plastic packaging that can be recycled. Many participants express that they find recycling important and claim that they recycle on a daily basis. However, when participants were asked about compostable packaging, a large group of consumers seemed to not be entirely sure about what that means, or how it works. Furthermore, many of them expressed that they currently prefer packaging that is recyclable, rather than compostable, for a big part because they are unfamiliar with the latter. This study has made it clear that there is a knowledge gap when it comes to compostable packaging. If we want compostable packaging to become more widely accepted, we will need to help consumers better understand how it works, what the environmental benefit is over recycling, and how they can most conveniently and effectively dispose of it.  

Contact us to find out more about the results, or how we can tailor consumer insights to your product or company.