Asia Pulp & Paper: Most Canadians Willing to Pay More for Sustainably Packaged Food

(Photo: Pizza boxes. Credit: Asia Pulp & Paper)

A new survey from Asia Pulp & Paper found that 62% of Canadian adults are willing to pay more for food products packaged in sustainable materials. Remarkably, 40% said they would pay as much as 10% more for such products.

These percentages are higher than last year’s survey results, which showed that 56% of Canadian consumers would pay more for sustainable food packaging, with just 37% saying they’d pay as much as 10% more.

Asia Pulp & Paper says it administered the third annual survey among a representative sample of 1,003 Canadian adults 18 years of age and older using Engine Insights’ online Caravan International Omnibus Survey. Online interviews took place August 13 – 18, 2019, according to APP, and the data was statistically weighted by age, gender, and geographic location.

“Canadians, especially adults between the age of 18 and 34, clearly value brands that are invested in sustainability and it is encouraging to see the demand for high-quality eco-friendly products and packaging,” said Ian Lifshitz, vice president of sustainability and stakeholder relations at Asia Pulp & Paper Canada.

Other takeaways from the latest survey:

• Sustainability was most important to Canadians when making purchasing decisions related to food packaging (63%).
• Sustainability was also important to more than half of consumers when they buy retail goods (56%) and office goods (53%).
• When asked who was responsible for improving sustainability, roughly half (49%) of consumers felt individuals themselves played an important role.

In addition, 97% of the respondents said they had engaged in some form of sustainable activity. Of that majority:

• 90% recycle.
• 79% reported using reusable food containers or shopping bags.
• 66% said they limited single-use plastics like straws and cutlery.
• 56% said they printed less paper.
• 48% reported composting.

Lifshitz said that the survey showed a lot of people feeling empowered to effect change without waiting for governments or brands to take the lead. “This tells me that our industry must continue to innovate and offer alternative solutions,” he added.

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