Hong Kong consumers willing to pay a premium for sustainable paper

Asia Pulp & Paper releases survey results about sustainable and safe paper usage in Hong Kong Promoting industry collaboration to offer eco-products.

Gold East Trading (Hong Kong) Company Limited, a subsidiary of Asia Pulp & Paper (APP), today announced the results of the “Sustainable and Safe Paper Usage in Hong Kong” survey which revealed that nearly 70 per cent of Hong Kong consumers are willing to pay an additional 5 per cent or more to purchase paper products from sustainable sources.

Additionally, more than 70 per cent of respondents prefer to visit restaurants which use safe food packaging.

The survey of 1,037 people completed in the third quarter of 2016 by the Hong Kong Polytechnic University’s Centre for Social Policy Studies, concludes that sustainability and safety are as important for Hong Kong consumers when they purchase paper products or consume food packaging.

APP believes that this creates an opportunity for suppliers to differentiate their brands and products if they introduce safer and more environmentally friendly products.

When purchasing paper products, 67 per cent of consumers consider whether the products are sustainable and have environmental certifications.

However, around 90 per cent of respondents have not heard of the main forest certification systems including FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) and PEFC (Programme for the Endorsement of Forest Certification).

These two organisations together account for some 98 per cent of the world’s certified forests and chain of custody certificates. In fact, Hong Kong consumers realised they need to acquire knowledge about sustainable paper products, and 93 per cent of respondents agreed that more education on how to distinguish sustainable paper products is needed.

“It’s good news for the environment and for paper product producers that Hong Kong consumers prefer to purchase products with sustainable and environmental friendly packaging. And that they are willing to pay a premium for sustainable packaging,” said Thomas Yu, Head of Gold East Trading (Hong Kong) Company Limited.

“If paper product producers and suppliers are able to capture the opportunity and improve their product packaging, not only can they play a part in saving the environment, but also improve the corporate image and increase the trust of consumers in the brands.
http://www.eco-business.com/press-releases/hong-kong-consumers-willing-to-pay-a-premium-for-sustainable-paper/

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