APP new survey reveals majority of Americans want more sustainable paper and product packaging options

More than half of Americans (56 percent) would like to have more sustainable options for the paper and packaging products they purchase, according to a new survey released by Asia Pulp and Paper (APP). Additionally, 42 percent of survey respondents indicate that they are willing to pay more for sustainable paper or products in sustainable packaging.

While preferences range across generations, a clear inclination towards more sustainable / eco-friendly options in paper and product packaging is emerging. According to the survey, 63 percent of Millennials indicate a strong preference for having more sustainable options in the paper and product packaging they purchase. This sentiment is also high among other generations, with more than half of both GenXers (51 percent) and Baby Boomers (55 percent) saying they would like to see a wider range of earth-friendly paper and product packaging options.

“The U.S. market is seeing an increasing number of Americans placing higher levels of importance on the role of sustainability – be it reused, recycled, certified, or deforestation-free materials – in a company’s product packaging and broader environmental practices,” said Ian Lifshitz, Director of Sustainability and Stakeholder Relations, Americas, for Asia Pulp & Paper (APP). “This is a fundamental and critical marketplace shift with significant implications for brands, particularly with regard to how they integrate environmental sustainability in the paper and product packaging they sell in the marketplace and, more broadly, across their supply chains and global operations.”

The survey also found that one-third of Americans say that conducting research into a company’s environmental practices before making a purchase is important to them. This number jumps to 50 percent when looking solely at Millennials and 31 percent of GenXers and 20 percent of Baby Boomers express similar sentiments

Other notable findings include:

– Fifty-two percent of Millennials are willing to pay more for earth-friendly / deforestation-free / sustainable paper products or products in such packaging; 38 percent of GenXers and 36 percent of Baby Boomers also indicate they are willing to spend additional money on these types of products.

– Seventy-one percent of respondents say that a product’s sustainability attributes (such as chlorine-free, certified as deforestation-free, made from recycled materials) influence paper and package purchasing decisions; from a generational perspective, 83 percent of Millennials indicate that the sustainability attributes of a product influence purchasing decisions, while 68 percent and 62 percent of GenXers and Baby Boomers, respectively, also agree this is an important consideration.

– Nearly half, (47 percent) of Millennials say they are likely to consider whether a product is certified as deforestation-free when purchasing paper products, such as copy / printer paper, paper towels / napkins, magazines and books.

These results are based on 1,017 interviews, conducted online by ORC International from September 25-28, 2014 among a demographically representative U.S. sample of adults 18 years of age and older.