DS Smith Survey: Pandemic Triggers Embrace Of Sustainable Packaging A pandemic-induced surge in e-commerce has left shop- pers with more boxes than ever before, triggering a rush by consumers to embrace recycling and raising the de- mand for sustainable packaging. But while there’s more interest in sustainability – especially among millennials – many buyers say they’re frustrated by the amount of unre- cyclable material showing up and the lack of easy access to local recycling sites. Those are among the major findings of a national sur- vey by DS Smith, a leading paper and packaging company that focuses on creating innovative and sustainable pack- aging solutions. A previous DS Smith survey shows 44 percent of respondents report getting more deliveries during the
COVID-19 pandemic. The latest results validate DS Smith’s work in producing more sustainable products for its busi- ness customers. An overwhelming 83 percent of consum- ers surveyed say the packages they receive aren’t fully re- cyclable because they contain other materials like plastic or Styrofoam. Only 17 percent report getting all-recyclable packages. The survey, taken last month, revealed dramatic home and lifestyle changes, with 30- to 39-year-olds having the largest jump in recycling habits due to the pandemic. More than a quarter (26 percent) say they’re recycling more, fol- lowed by those age 18 to 29 doing more at 21 percent. “DS Smith provides sustainable packaging for its cus- tomers with the goal of leading the transition to the circular economy,” said Mark Ushpol, Managing Director of Pack- aging at DS Smith. “Recycling is an important piece of that process, and with the rapid growth of e-commerce putting more boxes into homes than ever before, it’s encouraging to see this shift in consumer behavior toward recycling more.”
DS Smith is working to combat the deluge of unrecyclable packaging plaguing consum- ers by using its Circular Design Principles, developed and launched last year alongside
the Ellen MacArthur Foundation, to eliminate waste from its packaging in the early design stages. These results also come after DS Smith’s recent announcement that it has embedded its pioneering Circular Design Metrics across all its packaging sites. In an industry first, DS Smith can now measure and quantify the sus- tainability performance of each of its packag- CONTINUED ON PAGE 28
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October 25, 2021
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