Driven by the social sustainable Development Goals and consumer environmentalism, the sustainable packaging market continues to expand. According to Reportlinker, the global sustainable food packaging market is expected to grow from US $196.26 billion in 2021 to US $211.56 billion in 2022, representing a compound annual growth rate of 7.8%. The market is expected to reach US $28.01 billion by 2026, with a compound annual growth rate of 7.3% during the period. In the general trend of green environmental protection, "sustainable" has gradually become the baton for the economic market to nourish and empower the brand. There are three reasons behind the surge in sustainable food packaging numbers.
First, the earth needs
Plastic brings great convenience to people's life, but at the same time, the problem of pollution can not be underestimated.
According to data released by the European Plastic Manufacturers Association, global plastic production and consumption will continue to increase, with production of 367 million tons in 2020 and per capita consumption of 46 kilograms, and plastic production is expected to reach 1.1 billion tons by 2050.
Globally, it is estimated that 42% of plastic is used in packaging, most of which is only used for single use, so the problems caused by plastic pollution in the ecosystem are long-term and long-lasting.
The recycling rate is only 10 percent, which means that 90 percent of plastic is incinerated, buried or simply discarded into the environment.
Plastic usually takes 20 to 400 years, or more, to decompose.
Decomposing plastic creates debris, or microplastics, that remains in the atmospheric circulation, from water to food and soil, and everything else we're involved in.
Using sustainable packaging can break this negative cycle.
Second, policy support
Around the world, the discussion about single-use plastics never stops, nor does the promotion of sustainable packaging.
The adoption of the Draft Resolution to End Plastic Pollution at the fifth session of the United Nations Environment Conference is the most important progress in a multilateral environmental agreement since the Paris Agreement, and a consensus on insurance for future generations. Since then, the global plastic restriction has been legally binding, and many countries must jointly bear the face.
In China, the white environmental protection policy is also constantly exerting its power, from the plastic restriction to the plastic ban, has formed a national and local multi-level plastic ban policy system. On February 23 this year, the Ministry of Ecology and Environment once again emphasized that it would actively strengthen the control of plastic pollution. The next step would be to implement the legal requirements of the control of plastic pollution, promote the implementation of "Opinions on Further Strengthening the control of plastic pollution", "the 14th Five-Year Plan of Action for the control of plastic pollution" and other effective measures to control plastic pollution in a precise, scientific and legal manner.
In 2021, Australia announced its National Plastics Plan, which aims to ban single-use plastics by 2025. In addition to Australia, a growing number of countries and cities around the world are also moving to ban single-use plastics.
In the European Union, the 2019 "Single-use Plastics Directive" aims to crack down on the 10 most common single-use plastic items found on European beaches, which account for 70% of all Marine litter in the EU.
In the US, California, Hawaii and New York are among the states that have moved to ban single-use plastic products such as plastic bags, forks and food containers.
In Asia, countries such as Indonesia and Thailand have led calls for measures to ban the use of single-use plastics.
In contrast to the legislative pressure that awaits the government, Morgan Stanley research reports that from 2018 to 2019 alone, the number of companies in the US pursuing a "plastics strategy" more than doubled from the same period last year. This shows that in the future general trend, enterprises are willing to pay relative profits to make changes to achieve environmental strategy and social responsibility goals. Of course, this does not rule out that in the drive of sustainable packaging development, the commercial benefits may also be a major factor.
Third, consumers favor
The survey found that sustainability was a focus for consumers and even influenced their purchasing decisions - 47 percent of consumers surveyed said they would be willing to pay more for sustainably packaged products. Consumers want to buy products with sustainable packaging, and younger consumers are the driving force behind this trend and are willing to pay more for brands that align with their values.
In fact, 59 percent said they consciously chose products solely because of their environmentally friendly packaging, such as reusable, compostable, recyclable and edible packaging.
A third of consumers said they had actually avoided buying a product because it did not say "sustainable" on the package; Seventy-seven percent of respondents expect more brands to offer 100% sustainable packaging in the near future. Brands across all industries should therefore be prepared to respond to this demand or miss out.
Currently, consumer demand for sustainable packaging is clear and most consumers consciously choose products with clear sustainable packaging labels.
The survey found that younger consumers -- a key buying demographic -- are more likely to buy competing brands because they offer sustainable packaging. Despite recent price increases in some consumer goods, nearly half of consumers surveyed claimed to be willing to pay more for products that offer sustainable packaging.
