Sustainable paper-based packaging: a consumer’s perspective

Oloyede, O. O. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6392-0937 and Lignou, S. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6971-2258 (2021) Sustainable paper-based packaging: a consumer’s perspective. Foods, 10 (5). 1035. ISSN 2304-8158 doi: 10.3390/foods10051035

Abstract/Summary

Over the last two decades, there has been growing interest from all stakeholders (government, manufacturers, and consumers) to make packaging more sustainable. Paper is considered one of the most environmentally friendly materials available. A qualitative study investigating consumers’ expectations and opinions of sustainable paper-based packaging materials was conducted where 60 participants took part in focus group sessions organized in two stages. In the first stage, participants expressed their opinions about currently available packages in the market and their expectations about a sustainable packaging material. In the second stage of the study, they evaluated five paper-based prototype packages for two product categories (biscuits and meat). Too much plastic and over-packaging were the key issues raised for current packages. Price and quality were the main driving forces for consumers’ purchase intent. While participants were impressed by the sustainable nature of the prototypes, the design did not necessarily meet their expectations, and they were not willing to pay more for a sustainable package. The key message that emerged from the discussions was the “3Rs”—Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle”—which should be the main points to consider when designing a sustainable packaging.

Item Type	Article
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/97941
Item Type	Article
Refereed	Yes
Divisions	Life Sciences > School of Chemistry, Food and Pharmacy > Department of Food and Nutritional Sciences > Food Research Group
Publisher	MDPI
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