The willingness of many consumers to spend a little more money on sustainable packaging has increased, despite economic pressures. According to a new packaging study by the global management consultancy Simon-Kucher, 60 per cent of consumers would accept slightly higher prices for sustainable packaging – six percentage points more than in the previous year. However, this willingness is greater among younger customers than among older ones. Whilst the vast majority of under-25s – 83 per cent – are prepared to pay more, this applies to only around one in two of those aged 54 and over. The gap between the age groups has thus widened by twelve percentage points since 2025. “The age groups are drifting apart – this makes brand communication and pricing more challenging,” says Mark-Daniel Rentschler, Senior Director at Simon-Kucher.

Price mark-ups must be kept low

Almost one in two consumers recognise sustainable packaging primarily by the fact that it uses as little material as possible. According to the study, clear recycling instructions are also a key identifying feature. Official eco-labels, by contrast, play a lesser role. However, consumers set strict limits on the extra cost of sustainable product packaging: 30 per cent would pay no more than five per cent extra – relative to the total product price – for sustainably packaged products. “More sustainable packaging can noticeably increase the value of a product as a whole. However, the additional costs often remain manageable,” said Daniel Bornemann, Senior Partner at Simon-Kucher. Manufacturers should not, however, view this limited willingness to pay as an obstacle.

Bans more popular than deposits

Furthermore, 37 per cent of respondents support bans on certain types of single-use packaging and regulations to reduce empty space. Support for extending the deposit scheme to other types of packaging is significantly lower, at just 25 per cent. “Price pressure does not fundamentally shift priorities,” says Bornemann. Manufacturers must, however, clearly communicate the added value of sustainable packaging so that they can also convince the undecided. For the sixth “Sustainable Product Packaging” study, 2,108 consumers in Germany were surveyed in May this year on the subject of sustainable packaging.

Source: Simon-Kucher