Poles leaning towards conscious consumption – ECO packaging getting more and more priority

In recent years Polish people have been showing increasing ECO consciousness when making purchasing decisions, taking the environmental impact more and more seriously. Such a radiant trend among end users pushes fundamental changes onto cosmetics and cosmetic packaging suppliers.

As much as 52% of polled by EKObarometr claim, that currently consider the brand’s sustainability, ECO engagement and type of raw materials the packaging is made of to be among key factors shaping their consumption patterns.

In most cases such approach leads to picking fully recyclable containers or made from recycled materials. More and more people also tend to switch their choices towards products packed in biodegradable containers.

Statistics behind the trend

As follows from the survey by ARC Rynek i Opinia, 65 per cent of Poles rather choose ECO products, while 40% say they’re making it more often. In addition, despite economic crisis, the number of consumers willing to pay more for eco-friendly products keeps going up. According to Deloitte, this figure is as high as 57% of Poles.

Recent research by Ipsos reveals even higher figures when asking the surveyed about paying attention to the products’ packaging and its impact on the environment. 70% of the poll claim increased attention to the environmental quality of the packaging, and 60% say they check out if the product is vegetarian or vegan.

These results prove the Poles’ expectations for the product manufacturers and packaging suppliers. Conscious brands meet these trends by initiating substantial changes of their products.

 

 

Poland’s biggest discount retailer reduces use of plastic

The biggest retail chain has been looking for ways to reduce use of plastic in their products’ packaging for years. In 2022 their effort hit the climax, as over 150 own label products got their packaging replaced by those more eco-friendly.

In the first place the changes were aiming at weight reduction of plastic containers and significant use of recycled materials when making new products and this way eliminating new amounts of plastic off the circulation. By now such effort has resulted in cutting off 650 tons plastic off the current packaging volume replace 644 tons orthodox packaging by those made of recycled resin.

Bottles made of fishing nets

Consumer behavior in the cosmetic industry

When making conscious consumer decisions, more attention is aimed at the production method, conditions, and the genesis of the raw materials. At the same time, we tend to do more research on the companies contributing to the environment and local communities.

Looking through the industry’s media, it’s easy to note, that the better half of information on new cosmetic products primarily focuses on shifting to healthier and environmentally safer ingredients and formulas, and eco rebranding the packaging through recyclable materials, weight reduction, improved recyclability, and re-usability of the container or its particular elements (“refill” systems).

Refill jar with replaceable inner part

Better understanding of „ECO” labelling

The mentioned above survey by EKObarometr also reveals a whopping 71% of the surveyed is familiar to at least part of the ECO tagging placed on the products’ packaging. At the same time around 28% of the polled manager to recognize most of the pictograms of that kind with no trouble.

Men matching women

It’s also worth to emphasize the decreasing gap between the ECO approach of men and women. Just a while ago women used to be the one role model in terms of eco consciousness, however, these days the statistics are starting to move towards parity. Around 52% of men claim high awareness and making eco choices against 54% of women making the same statements.