Study: Only Half of ‘Sustainably Minded’ Consumers Check Packaging for Recycling Directions

In May 2024, Minnesota became the fifth state to enact an extended producer responsibility (EPR) law to address the disposal of packaging. These regulations create financial responsibility for the end-of-life of product packaging on the brands that create them. At least nine other states have introduced similar legislation, furthering what is predicted to be a nationwide precedent.

This new normal also implicates producers in the behaviors of consumers because disposal ultimately happens at the local and household levels. With EPR laws adding requirements around consumer education and outreach to encourage proper participation in recycling programs, brands and packaging professionals may have a weighty task ahead. Our study proved this point when it showed that even consumers willing to make the effort to be more sustainable don’t consistently make the right disposal choices.

Only about 50% check the package.

When given 11 packages of differing substrate types and various levels of disposal instruction to sort, only three of the 50 consumers tested made the correct disposal choices for all the packages. Package InSight by Quad — a research group that analyzes brand-packaging performance, consumer attention and shelf impact — conducted the study. Using eye-tracking technology, researchers measured what sustainability graphics or logos were seen by participants and how they affected recycling accuracy.

Related:Want Consumers to Recycle In-Store? Show Them How.

Though all 50 study participants claimed to be sustainably minded shoppers, only about 50% looked at the sustainability logos or disposal instructions at all. During interviews after the testing activity, researchers learned that rather than looking for recycling guidance on packaging, consumers recycled “intuitively,” leading many to make the wrong disposal choices.

For example, most participants were confident that all paperboard packaging could be recycled and acted without consulting the recycling information on the three paperboard-packaged goods in the study. While most participants recycled the first two packages (shown below) correctly, 94% of participants also recycled the third package, a foiled-lined paperboard box, which was not recyclable. Similar findings were true for various plastic and compostable substrates.

Test consumers had a tendency to recycle packages even when the recycling symbol crossed out. (Image: Package InSight by Quad)

Researchers also observed that regardless of true recyclability, consumers had a tendency to recycle any packaging displaying the circular, chasing arrows symbol — even if the symbol is crossed out. In cases where they recognized the How2Recyle (H2R) label, some versions of the instructions still confused participants. Although the store drop-off program has the participation of 500-plus brands and over 12,000 retailers acting as intermediaries, the availability of package recycling through the program was still surprising to most of the shoppers we spoke to, who assumed it was only a drop-off for plastic grocery bags.

Some brands are guilty of greenwashing.

While it’s no secret that consumers have an increasing affinity for products they perceive as environmentally friendly, brands need to use recycling symbols consciously to avoid greenwashing. Since 1992, the Federal Trade Commission has issued and updated its Green Guides, which outline practices to help marketers avoid making environmental claims that could mislead consumers. In 2021, California enacted its SB 343 bill, which limits the use of the “chasing-arrows” recycling symbol unless certain criteria are met.

Overuse of the symbol, which is sometimes printed on materials that are not recyclable at all, has burdened recycling facilities with plastics that they can’t process. It also has contributed to the miseducation of consumers, leading them to find even How2Recycle labels confusing.

This data from Quad’s recent study shows that it will not be enough for brands to simply put recycling information on packaging and expect consumers to dispose of it correctly. CPG and retailer-owned brands must make recycling easier, more accessible, and as intuitive as possible. Consumers want better education, clear instructions, incentives for recycling, and more recycling options.