Editor's note: The following is part of a series of reports from The Packer's Sustainability Insights 2024, which aims to better understand growers', retailers' and consumers' involvement and market behaviors surrounding packaging, labeling, food waste, and sustainability. The annual survey was designed by Trust In Food — Farm Journal's sustainable ag division — and conducted and analyzed by Farm Journal Marketing and Research Intelligence.
Sustainability remains an important concern for consumers into 2024, according to The Packer's Sustainability Insights 2024 survey, which found that more than three-quarters of consumers surveyed place at least some priority on sustainability in their buying decisions, up 4% from 2023. Thirty percent of consumers surveyed place primary priority on it.
Fielded April 2-11, 2024, the web-based quantitative survey of 491 consumers from across the country found that younger consumers in particular prioritize sustainability and associate terms such as “eco,” “climate,” “energy” and “friendly” with the movement.
All respondents were age 18 or older, live in the U.S. and do most or all of their household grocery shopping.
The younger the respondent, the higher a priority sustainability is when making a purchase. Sustainability Insights 2024 found that 78% of 18-24-year-olds ranked sustainability as a primary or secondary priority versus 51% of those aged 65 or older. Meanwhile, 27% of those 65 and older said that sustainability was not a priority compared with just 4% of 18-24-year-olds.
Consumers polled also represented a range of income levels, with 22% of respondents reporting household incomes of $25,000 to $49,999, followed by 21% reporting household incomes of $100,000 to $149,000.
Forty-two percent of survey respondents indicated they're married, with 46% reporting two adults living in the household. Sixty-six percent reported no children living in the household, 17% reported one child in the household and 15% reported two children living in the household.
When survey respondents were asked who is most responsible to lead and promote sustainability practices and policies, they indicated consumers, government and farms/food processors/manufacturers share majority of responsibility. However, the percentage of consumer respondents who indicated the consumer was most responsible decreased in 2024 to 18%, compared with 22% in 2023.
Packaging preferences
Sustainability Insights 2024 found that eco-friendly packaging remains a top feature for consumers. When asked which of the following product features help you define a product as sustainable, the majority, or 63%, selected eco-friendly packaging (recyclable or biodegradable), down slightly from 66% in 2023.
Organic held steady at 45%, the same as last year. And at 40%, carbon neutral rounded out the top three.
From 2023 to 2024, “local” and “pesticide free” saw significant decreases. “Local” was a top feature for 33% in 2024 versus 42% in 2023. “Pesticide free” was a top feature for 28% in 2024 versus 35% in 2023.
Climate change increases as highest importance
Addressing climate change increased substantially in the “extremely important” rating in 2024, up 9 percentage points to 35% versus 26% in 2023, but down from 38% in 2022. However, climate change decreased 9 percentage points as a secondary importance.
Younger age groups placed greater emphasis on addressing climate change. Forty-six percent of 18-24-year-old respondents and 43% of both respondents aged 25-34 and 35-44 ranked addressing climate change as “extremely important.” Meanwhile, just 19% of 55-64-year-olds indicated climate change was “extremely important.”
Consumers take action with recyclable packaging leading the way
Many consumers increasingly took action on sustainability in 2024, using purchases and personal habits to build sustainability. Nearly two-thirds, or 61%, say they prefer their packaging to be recyclable.
Meaningful increases were seen in avoiding plastics, with 46% indicating they avoid disposable plastic products in 2024, up from 37% in 2023. More consumers, or 26%, indicated they seek out brands with carbon footprint reduction programs, up from 18% in 2023.
Sustainability organizations began to see increased post-COVID support. Nineteen percent of consumers indicated they actively support global sustainability through associations, foundations, movements, etc., up from 13% in 2023. And about one-third purchase brands whose social/environmental values align with theirs.
Every sustainability action saw some increase in implementation in 2024 — with increases from 1 percentage point (prefer recyclable packaging) to 9 percentage points (avoid plastics). These increases occurred despite a small decrease in the youngest survey cohort, 18-to 24-year-olds.
Consumers believe packaging has the top sustainability impact. Acting via their purchases, they expect food makers to make sustainability facts apparent on labels.
Fully 72% “sometimes” or “often” purchase food based on how the package was produced, up 5 percentage points over last year.
Consumers see packaging as having the biggest impact on sustainability, giving biodegradable (1), recyclable (2) and compostable (3) packages the top spots for impact in contrast to biological inputs, renewable energy and LED lighting.
Fully 70% of consumers will pay at least 5% more for packaging, and 40% will pay 5% to 10% more.
In 2024, those who said purchasing sustainably packaged food was “extremely important” rose 5 percentage points.
Over half (58%) prefer recyclable packaging. And 40% said they “always” recycle bags, primary and secondary packaging.
Where do consumers get information?
With 71% prioritizing it as very important, “packaging” is by far the main place consumers look to learn sustainability efforts of a retailer or brand, according to Sustainability Insights 2024.
Following, but garnering much lower ratings for importance were, “grower/farmer websites” at 37% and “traditional in-store signage” at 34%. At just 16%, news media outlets rank least important among sustainability information sources.
Food waste top concern associated with sustainable food supply
When thinking about a more sustainable food supply, what concerns consumers most? Sustainability Insights asked consumers to rank their top three.
At 68%, food waste was the top concern associated with a sustainable food supply, followed by climate change (57%) and water usage (51%). The survey further found that specific sustainability concerns and actions are likely at least somewhat influenced by the most recent science, weather and news cycle.
Younger consumers care most about how food is produced
Fifty percent of 18-24-year-olds ranked “knowing how your food is produced” as extremely important compared to only 19% of respondents aged 65 and older. Still, among consumers aged 25-44, about 40% ranked “knowing how your food is produced” as extremely important.
‘Recyclable' remains top sustainable packaging solution
When it comes to sustainable packaging solutions, the majority of consumers, or 58%, prefer recycled, down from 61% in 2023 but higher than 53% in 2022. In 2024, 11% indicated they prefer compostable packaging, the same as last year. And a preference for biodegradable came in at 31% in 2024, up from 28% last year but lower than 32% in 2022.
Sustainable packaging is leading trend
Sustainability Insights 2024 asked consumers to rate activities in terms of their ability to impact the sustainability of the food they purchase. While meaningful increases were seen in recyclable packaging, transparency in production and LED lighting, the top three activities continue to all be packaging related; biodegradable packaging, recycling and compostable packaging.
Younger consumers remain most likely to pay a premium for bio-based packaging
In 2024, the likelihood of younger consumers to pay 11% to 15% more for bio-based packaging surged to 43%, up from 24% in 2023.
At the same time, even the oldest age cohort of 65 and older were less likely to say they'd pay “nothing” additional for such packaging. This percentage fell from 64% of those who said they'd pay nothing more in 2023 to 45% in 2024.
Recycling activities increase
Recycling is happening more frequently this year than last, finds Sustainability Insights 2024.
Consumers were asked, “How often do you recycle each of the following?” All types of packaging saw a lift in consumers “always” recycling:
- Shopping bags — 44% in 2024 versus 40% in 2023.
- Secondary packaging (crates, boxes, cartons) — 43% in 2024 versus 39% in 2023.
- Primary packaging (cans, produce trays, individual wraps, etc.) — 41% versus 38% in 2023.
Climate-smart food labels influence purchase
Sustainability Insights 2024 found that the higher the consumers' sustainability priority, the more likely “climate-smart” food labels influence them. In 2024, 57% of consumers indicated they'd be more likely to purchase a food product labeled as “climate-smart,” up from 48% in 2023.
Importance of reducing food waste increases
“How important is it to you to reduce food waste in your life?” — Sustainability Insights 2024 asked consumers to rate its importance using a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 indicated “not at all important” and 5 indicated “extremely important.”
Respondents rating reducing food waste as an “extremely important” part of their lives rose 9 percentage points in 2024 from the previous year's survey. Interestingly, in 2024, 57% of those aged 65 and older ranked reducing food waste as “extremely important,” slightly outpacing 18-24-year-olds, 54% of which ranked reducing food waste as “extremely important.”
Eating reasonable portions and leftovers are key to reducing food waste
In 2024, 57% of consumers once again reported eating reasonable portions to reduce food waste. Fifty-eight percent reported eating leftovers to combat food waste, up from 53% in 2023.
Notably, more consumers in 2024 said they volunteer/donate to a local food pantry, perhaps rebounding toward pre-COVID levels. 2024 also saw an increase in eating leftovers (up 5 percentage points) and use of recyclable packaging (up 4 percentage points).
What's one thing you'd like to see your favorite local grocery store do to reduce food waste?
Respondents offered suggestions for how retailers can advance their sustainability efforts:
- “Offer grains or cereals in bins.”
- “Donate past-date foods to food banks.”
- “Take [food] to homeless shelters or food banks so that the extra food won't go to waste.”
- “Offer more markdowns on produce that is a little older.”
- “Provide more signage letting us know what brands are sustainable. I don't think it's that people don't care, they just don't know.”
Related: View the entire digital edition of The Packer's Sustainability Insights 2024
