US – Global packaging producer DS Smith has released a consumer survey that suggests online shoppers are dissatisfied with packages too big for the products being shipped, too flimsy, covered with too much tape or not being waterproof or recyclable.
The poll was conducted in October in collaboration with Toronto-based research firm Torfac and had 1,000 respondents.
The results show sustainability is a priority for 81% of consumers—so much so that about 40% say they would pay more for sustainable packaging.
A third of respondents say they would pay up to 24% more for sustainable packaging and another third would pay at least 25% or more.
DS Smith says the results underscore efforts to provide environmentally friendly products that replace problem plastics, remove carbon from supply chains and provide innovative recycling solutions.
“Online shopping remains popular, so the onus is on business to design out waste and make sure materials can stay in use for as long as possible,” says Melanie Galloway, vice president of sales, marketing and innovation for DS Smith North America.
According to the report, more than 40% of respondents say they have increased their recycling since the onset of the coronavirus pandemic, and nearly 70% say they recycle cardboard packaging from online deliveries always or most of the time.
DS Smith says that the embrace of recycling matches the spike in e-commerce, with two-thirds of respondents saying their frequency of online shopping has increased and more than half saying they expect their online shopping habits to continue to grow.
According to DS Smith, the increase in online shopping brings an increase in packaging arriving at consumers’ doorsteps, and respondents expressed frustrations with boxes with too much extra space, with 38% saying half their deliveries were filled with air and 39% saying deliveries were filled with a quarter of air.
The survey also revealed other complaints about the packaging; 41% of respondents say it is too big for the products being shipped; 29% say it uses too much filler; 24% reveal that it uses too much plastic tape, and 12% say they are difficult to open.
Two-thirds of consumers surveyed say they would be more likely to purchase products either packaged in or using paper and cardboard so they can be reused or recycled.
DS Smith says oversized boxes containing excess packing material takes up more space during transit, creating a potential ripple effect of unnecessary delivery trips which can impact the amount of carbon emissions produced.
“The idea of oversized boxes containing excess packing material that, in turn, overly fill delivery trucks is not something any of us should perpetuate,” concluded Galloway.
“Consumers don’t want it, businesses can’t afford it and, ultimately, the planet won’t thank us for it.”
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