Consumer attitudes have been shifting towards more ethical consumption across the years, with a global uptick in how influential ethical, environmental and social responsibility are on consumer’s food product choices.

Some 17% of global consumers in GlobalData’s 2018 Q3 consumer survey versus 15% in GlobalData’s 2016 Q3 consumer survey are always influenced by these factors.

According to GlobalData’s 2018 Q3 consumer survey, plastic-free packaging encourages consumers to buy products more than unpackaged products, with a notable ten percentage point difference.

This is because convenience is key and one in five of people believe that convenience is synonymous with portability (22%, GlobalData 2018 Q3 consumer survey). Unpackaged products are likely to be perceived as more cumbersome to hold and carry and so it boils down to a choice between convenience or ethics, which can sway a number of consumers.

Although, it is important to note that across both unpackaged products and plastic-free packaging the majority of consumers believe their behaviour would not change or expect to buy more. This provides an incentive for companies to try to meet this demand by providing innovative and environmentally-friendly packaging solutions that do not compromise on convenience.

GlobalData survey consumer survey results for Q3 2018: How would the following aspects of product packaging impact your purchasing behaviour? Packaged products without plastic versus unpackaged products?

Source: www.food2china.com