Consumer food choice and preference for green packaging: results from a survey

Abstract

Sustainability is at the top of the international agenda in every aspect: social, economic and environmental. Nowadays, the most important emblem that is widely discussed for its consequences in the environment is food packaging. While plastic is subject to a reputational crisis, a new field of comparison between brands and consumers is opening up, where environmental sustainability and packaging, which is its most immediate representation, become important drivers of choice. This paper is conceived with the purpose of investigating in depth the role of packaging in relation to environmental issues, an increasingly important aspect called upon to perform an educational function that can influence the consumer behavior. Packaging is in fact an essential component in the definition of a product and it is what the consumer notices at first sight at any point of sale. For these reasons it is necessary to understand what is changing and how these changes are perceived by consumers. Therefore, interpret how to translate their attention into a real contribution that might become truly meaningful. In this perspective this paper will be developed in three chapters. The first will highlight the limitations brought by the linear model, the key principles of the circular economy and the regulatory context within which institutions, businesses and consumers are called upon to intervene. Subsequently, the second chapter will analyze the relevance of sustainability within the modern market with a deep focus on the drivers that today push consumers to choose one product over another. Finally, the third chapter will define and discuss, through the survey’s results for the Italian consumers, what are the influences of sustainable packaging on food spending, what are the criteria for consumer choice and what is the most widespread representation of the term "green packaging".