A Survey of Consumer Perceptions of Sustainable Packaging and Its Impact on Social Sustainability

Improving the commercial performance of the products will only be possible by integrating into the sustainability principles in the presentation of the finished product, which is embodied in packaging. Development and social considerations are the most important aspects of sustainable packaging that are often overlooked, which weakens the packaging of products. Achieving this goal is directly related to the level of awareness and environmental knowledge of consumers. Therefore, the recognition and insight of consumers as the final referee in the field of sustainability is of paramount importance. But despite the fact that amongst organizations and companies , sustainability is a well-known concept, many companies have only made relatively few initiatives about consumer insights on packaging sustainability and preservation as a major goal. Therefore, the present study, considering the importance of the issue in order to identify the level of familiarity and attention of consumers to the sustainable packaging, examines the literature on consumer perceptions of sustainable packaging and their perceptions of the impact of packaging on the environment. The purpose of this survey is to identify the role of consumers' perception of sustainable packaging and its impact on the environmental behavior and deterrent factors in this area. The research was conducted by survey method and by distributing a questionnaire including identification of consumer awareness about the sustainable packaging of products among 250 consumers in Isfahan. After analyzing the results, it was pointed out that although individuals tend to be environmentally friendly, they were not able to identify and use them as a factor in their decision making for purchase due to lack of knowledge and lack of familiarity with sustainable packaging. This implies understanding the importance of the social dimension of sustainable packaging and its role in supporting efforts to improve sustainability in packaging.