Survey shows perception of cost as the main barrier to overcome in sustainable packaging
One of the leading renewable biomaterials suppliers, UPM, has unveiled the latest findings from a highly targeted survey of some of the world’s leading packaging designers. The survey, conducted in collaboration with the Pentawards, has revealed unique insights into sustainable packaging design, including some of the key challenges faced by designers, with UPM highlighting how these can be overcome. The survey results show that while the majority (47%) of the designer respondents feel extremely comfortable handling briefs that include sustainability requirements, 43% of packaging designers would prefer more direction or information to feel fully comfortable when dealing with these briefs. This highlights a need for further education on how to incorporate sustainability into packaging design, with most respondents (35%) suggesting material guides would be the most beneficial. Further findings reveal that 57% of the designer respondents believe they always or often have the opportunity to impact the material choice of a product. However, 20% say they seldom do, and 17% almost never, which suggests some clients may not have yet realised the value of exploring alternative and more sustainable packaging solutions.