Reusable concepts in the mail order business are apparently not convincing environmentally conscious consumers, while corrugated cardboard shipping packaging is very popular. This is the conclusion reached by IFH Cologne in a recent study commissioned by the German Association of the Corrugated Board Industry (VDW).
Corrugated cardboard shipping packaging is the favourite among consumers, while reusable packaging in e-commerce remain a niche in the medium term become. According to a study conducted by the IFH Cologne (Institute for Retail Research) on behalf of the Association of the Corrugated Board Industry (VDW). Consumers with a strong environmental awareness were particularly unconvinced by reusable concepts.
According to the IFH survey, 91 per cent of participants consider packaging made of cardboard, corrugated cardboard or cartonboard to be more natural than plastic packaging. 89 per cent stated that they prefer recyclable product packaging. When asked which packaging solution they would choose for an online order, 55 per cent of consumers named corrugated cardboard and only 22 per cent reusable cardboard.
Consumers are not convinced by reusable packaging
Reusable packaging was also unable to convince the majority of respondents when it came to questions focussing on environmental aspects: Only 19 per cent believe that reusable packaging is the more sustainable solution, whereas 48 per cent see corrugated cardboard as having an advantage here. 40 per cent confirmed that corrugated board packaging is made from an environmentally friendly material; only 26 per cent confirmed this for reusable packaging. Solutions made of corrugated cardboard (58 per cent) were able to prevail over reusable packaging (16 per cent), particularly when it came to problem-free disposal.
„For us, the results confirm the high level of acceptance that corrugated board packaging enjoys among the population. The responses show consumers“ appreciation of the material's natural raw material base and strong support for a well-functioning recycling cycle, to which we can all contribute with minimal effort. The desire for sustainability and the need for convenience are successfully combined here." Dr Oliver WolfrumVDW Managing Director
As part of the survey, the IFH also categorised consumers into three sustainability types using preliminary questions: the environmentally conscious (35 per cent of respondents) who pay attention to sustainability when shopping and also spend more on it; the pragmatists (nine per cent) who show little or no willingness to pay for more sustainable products and respondents with a Medium awareness of sustainability issues (56 per cent).
Younger people in particular favour corrugated cardboard shipping packaging
„We found the group of environmentally aware people particularly interesting,“ emphasises Wolfrum. „This group of people is actively involved in environmental issues and is younger on average - we therefore understand the preferences of these respondents. also as a forward-looking signal."
It is precisely this comparatively well-informed group, which also additional transport routes and complex cleaning processes for reusable packaging were more positive about corrugated cardboard than the rest of the respondents and were more sceptical about reusable packaging, according to Wolfrum. Overall, 55 per cent of environmentally conscious respondents rated the concept of reusable packaging as mediocre or even poor.
For the Study „Corrugated cardboard vs. reusable. Acceptance of packaging solutions in the mail order business“, IFH Cologne conducted a representative survey of around 1,000 consumers in April 2021 via an online access panel regarding their attitudes towards mail order packaging.
Source: VDW
