Tetra Pak has been conducting its biannual Environment Research survey since 2005. Next to 6,000 consumers, in a parallel survey the 2015 edition also polled more than 200 food industry stakeholders from around the world. The countries included in the study were: Brazil, China, France, Germany, Japan, India, Russia, South Africa, Sweden, Turkey, UK and USA.

This year’s Environment Research revealed a growing appetite among consumers for products that tick the right environmental boxes. When asked about recent purchasing habits, two-thirds said they have bought environmental products, even when they cost more, while around the same proportion have avoided specific brands or items due to environmental concerns.

Across the 12 countries surveyed, environmental factors were a considerably stronger influence on beverage brand choice in developing markets like China, Turkey, Brazil and India than in developed areas like the UK, the USA or Japan. Indeed, in India, China and Turkey, more than 60% of those surveyed said they always look for environmental information on the beverage products they buy, compared with less than 25% in the USA, UK and Japan.

In response, the parallel survey among food manufacturers showed that the majority of them have included environment as part of their business strategy. More than half are now sharply focused on using responsibly sourced materials, with more and more seeing renewable materials as a key element in product differentiation.

“Consumers expect companies to do more on environment these days, and are increasingly checking information about a product before they buy. As a partner to the dairy and beverage industry, Tetra Pak is committed to helping customers meet consumer expectations by looking at the whole life of the products we supply,” says Mario Abreu, Vice President Environment at Tetra Pak. “This includes: sourcing raw materials responsibly, continuously improving energy efficiency in processing and filling lines, designing products that use more renewable materials and enable easier recycling, and providing specialist services to help customers reduce environmental impact in their own operations.”