Consumers are increasingly putting their purchasing power behind eco-friendly products, meaning brands that fail to embrace sustainable packaging risk being left out at the check-out, says sustainable packaging firm DS Smith.
As e-commerce continues to boom, DS Smith reveals new data showing a surge in demand for fully recyclable and more sustainable packaging options for e-commerce.
The boom in e-commerce has seen 66% of Europeans claiming to have shopped online more since the initial lockdown in March 2020 and 82% planning to shop online at the same level or more post lockdown.
DS Smith says it has seen demand ‘skyrocket’ for sustainable e-commerce packaging over the past year – with European growth of 35% in apparel, 35% in home and office electronics, and 51% in food and groceries.
With such a dramatic change in the way we shop, it’s absolutely vital that our new online shopping habits are supported in a way that protects the environment.
However, it says that brands must recognise ‘changing consumer demands’ as they respond to this opportunity. Almost a third of European shoppers say they have stopped buying particular brands altogether because their packaging was not sustainable.
While nearly half of Europeans (46%) say they want to use more cardboard or paper-based packaging rather than plastic based packaging and 58% saying that they want less packaging overall, DS Smith says.
Stefano Rossi, CEO DS Smith Packaging commented: “With such a dramatic change in the way we shop, it’s absolutely vital that our new online shopping habits are supported in a way that protects the environment.
“It’s clear that both businesses and consumers are becoming increasingly focused on sustainable alternatives. Our expert team of designers are creating new e-commerce solutions for products such as clothing, electronics, beauty and personal care every day, which provides both environmental and commercial advantages for businesses.”