NEW research by Aquapak has claimed consumers don’t think UK retailers and brands are doing enough to reduce the use of plastic packaging.
The survey showed that 65% felt retailers and brands were falling short when it comes to cutting ‘harmful plastic’, with only 18% saying they are doing enough.
59% of respondents said they wanted to see the conventional plastic used in packaging replaced with an alternative material which can be recycled and doesn’t harm the environment; 57% said they should use more paper-based packaging which can go into kerbside recycling collections; and 49% said they should stop using traditional single-use plastic completely.
Over the next year, 56% of those surveyed said they will try and buy more products that do not use single-use plastic packaging, such as polyethylene bags and hard to recycle packaging like crisp packets and chocolate wrappers. They are prepared to take even more extreme steps over the next three years, with 46% saying they will stop buying products that use single-use packaging and hard to recycle packaging altogether.
Almost a third (32%) of consumers said they would be prepared to pay more for packaging which is 100% recyclable when they buy products such as dry foods and snacks. Of these, 43% said they would pay 5% more. Some 30% said they would pay more for clothing and accessories packaged in recyclable material, with 41% of these saying that would be happy to pay 5% more.
Aquapak has developed a ‘marine-safe, non-toxic’ polymer technology called Hydropol, which breaks down in all existing recycling streams. When used in place of conventional plastic in crisp and snack wrappers, it is said to make unrecyclable packaging fully recyclable because the Hydropol layer is formulated to dissolve or biodegrades completely. If it does escape into the environment, it is broken down by micro-organisms without forming harmful microplastics. Nothing is left behind except CO2, water and biomass that can be used in renewable energy plants. This means consumers can put packaging and wrappers made with Hydropol in kerbside collections.
Aquapak added that garment bags made with Hydropol present ‘zero end-of-life issues’. They can be disposed of in existing domestic waste streams without contaminating other recyclable products or they can be dissolved in hot water at home without producing microplastics.
Mark Lapping, CEO of Aquapak, said, “Our research shows that consumers want to see more from brands and retailers when it comes to cutting the use of plastic packaging. We recognise that businesses have many challenges to deal with when it comes sustainability, whether it is carbon, water or biodiversity but it is important that they don’t just pay lip service to new technologies but opt for real change.
“The good news is that there is a commercially proven solution that will make their plastic packaging problems disappear. We have developed Hydropol which can be incorporated into paper to create planet-friendly wrappers for dry foods, snacks and confectionery, or used as film to make garment bags, providing an alternative to current packaging which is hard to recycle and inconvenient for consumers.”
