Packaging sustainably – benefiting financially!

Sustainability is the topic of our time and consumers are no longer prepared to ignore it. Not only are the origin and composition of products steadily gaining importance – according to studies, customers pay at least as much attention to the sustainability of packaging. Because at the point of sale the packaging is the first contact between the company placing a product on the market and the buyer, it contributes significantly to the purchase decision.

A clear customer verdict: sustainable packaging and transparent information

According to a March 2021 survey by the management consultancy Simon-Kucher[i], 73 % of respondents value sustainable packaging. For more than half of them (53 %) the use of recycled materials is a hallmark of sustainability, followed by recyclable materials (46 %). Switching to packaging made from recycled materials brings economic advantages and has a positive effect on the purchase decision at the point of sale. What matters here is reliable and transparent information on the packaging, because consumer trust in self-declarations is steadily fading.

Sustainable packaging protects the environment and brings financial advantages

With the German Packaging Act, legislators too have created the need for greater use of recyclate and recyclable materials.

Dual systems are obliged to treat recyclable materials as well as the use of recyclate as reducing the fees they charge. Using recyclate therefore saves hard cash.

Improved recyclability also helps to meet the statutory quotas for the material recovery of plastics. The current quota is 65 %, and from 1 January 2022 it will be at least 70 %. [ii]

Using recyclate and recyclable materials saves money in Germany. Equally important is the verification of the share of the respective material used. It is a gain for companies, for consumers and above all for the environment.

And it is not only legislators who call for reliable proof of the recyclate content – end customers also want clarity when it comes to sustainability.

Consumers complain about a lack of information on sustainable packaging

Despite growing awareness of sustainability and an ever-increasing number of opaque self-declarations in this field, consumers do not feel sufficiently informed and feel misled. 86 % of respondents[iii] are missing information or find the information available irrelevant. This is an opportunity for manufacturers and companies to communicate their commitment more clearly. That can be done at length in (online) communication, but also directly on the packaging: 66 % of consumers want to be informed about sustainability in a comprehensible way [iv] directly on the packaging.

Financial advantages and customer loyalty through independently certified sustainability

43 % of consumers[v] value the use of certified materials. A transparent and legally sound seal can create trust here and meet consumers’ need for information. With the flustix seals you have a certification you can rely on. The certified use of recyclate and recyclable material in the packaging industry therefore brings financial advantages, pays off and will also increase product loyalty among end customers. With a certified product at the point of sale, the flustix seals create trust. These three seals leave you well prepared for consumer expectations and legal requirements alike:

flustix RECYCLED is the only seal of its kind that makes not only the use of plastic recyclate visible at the point of sale, but also the exact percentage used and the origin of the recyclate (PCR/PIR). Flakes, regrind, recyclate itself and semi-finished products can be certified as well.

flustix RECYCLABLE is the only independent consumer seal for labelling the recyclability of packaging in Germany.

flustix PLASTIC-FREE PACKAGING certifies packaging materials and packaging that manage without plastic.

Do you have further questions and would like personal advice?

Contact flustix at contact@flustix.com Sources:

[i] Simon-Kucher end customer survey 2021 “Sustainable packaging”, https://www.simon-kucher.com/de/about/media-center/neue-studie-zu-nachhaltigen-verpackungen-wie-konsumenten-informiert-werden-wollen

[ii] Section 16 (1) sentence 3, German Packaging Act https://www.gesetze-im-internet.de/verpackg/__16.html

[iii] Simon-Kucher end customer survey 2021

[iv] Simon-Kucher end customer survey 2021

[v] Simon-Kucher end customer survey 2021