Over 70% of Spanish consumers state that cardboard is the most environment-friendly material and, when shopping, three out of every four people prefer to find fruit and vegetables in cardboard boxes rather than reusable plastic ones, as they consider them more hygienic.
Used packaging makes up 50% of the rubbish we produce. The environmental impact this causes has made it onto the agenda for European Union governments, which are considering how to limit consumption of the most polluting materials. The public are increasingly aware of environmental protection and of the ecological footprint of packs and packaging, but are they really aware of what kinds of waste pollute the most?
A survey conducted by Feedback Estrategia e Investigación Sociológica concludes that cardboard is the material that has the best environmental reputation among Spanish people. In comparison with other materials, it is considered more “eco-friendly” than glass, wood, plastic and, in last place, aluminium.
These results show society’s growing concern for preserving the environment. They also point to companies as the ones who must lead change and provide a response: 91.5% think they should devote more attention and resources to combating environmental pollution. In this respect the mass consumer industry takes on an important role, that of deciding on the material to be used in the packs and packaging we consume.
The Spanish ministry of agriculture and fisheries, food and the environment is currently studying how to limit the use of plastic bags in shops from 1st January 2018 onwards, due to their severe environmental impact. This gives special relevance to the fact that 52.1% of those interviewed feel that when a company replaces its plastic packs and packages with cardboard, it does so to protect the environment. Thus, nearly two out of every three Spaniards aged between 18 and 75 (65.4%) would prefer shops to provide cardboard boxes to take their shopping away in, rather than plastic bags.
This would be in line with the Waste Act, which encourages the use of sustainable packs and packaging, defining them as those made from renewable, recyclable and biodegradable raw materials and giving the examples of paper, corrugated cardboard, compact cardboard or wood. The cardboard industry is also based on a natural, renewable resource, paper, which is made from wood and can be recycled to be used again as a raw material, making it a benchmark for the circular economy.
When searching for the ideal pack, as well as commitment to the environment, consumers want it to protect the product it contains. Consumer tastes do not vary between physical retail and Internet shopping. Given the exponential growth in e-commerce, Spaniards who use this channel for shopping also opt for cardboard: 89% choose to receive products in boxes made of this material. The people surveyed also appreciated the fact that boxes made of cardboard are easier to open (69.8%).
The conclusion to be drawn from this study is that Spaniards are starting to factor environmental concerns into their decision-making. We should be aware that we are part of beneficial or harmful practices whenever we choose a product and with it the packaging it comes in. Cardboard is a material that comes from recycling and trees, and is therefore a raw material that, properly managed, is totally natural and sustainable.
