CARTON COUNCIL SURVEY RESEARCH FINDINGS Survey Conducted December
CARTON COUNCIL SURVEY RESEARCH FINDINGS Survey Conducted: December 2017 PREPARED BY
Project Background + The goal was to identify key knowledge, attitudes and beliefs about food and beverage carton recycling among the American public + Research was designed to guide continued activity and outreach regarding carton recycling + The survey included questions from a 2016 survey to highlight potential trends in awareness, attitudes and recycling behaviors + Questions were fielded in December 2015 and again in December 2017 Methodology + A 10 -15 minute online survey + 6, 936 interviews were conducted with those who reported access to curbside recycling programs in their area + Recruitment was conducted for those in states with 30% or greater access to food and beverage carton recycling as reported and monitored by Resource Recycling Systems
Belief in the importance of recycling continues to trend upwards From the following list of statements, which statement comes closest to describing your views on recycling? 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% Recycling is important and people should try Recycling is somewhat important and to make it a priority people should do whatthey can to try and recycle Dec-15 Recycling is somewhat important, but it is hard to consistently recycle Jan-17 Recycling is not important/ I don't care if anyone recycles
Overall, recycling of common recyclables is on the rise For each of the types of materials, please indicate if you recycle them through your local curbside recycling program and if so, how frequently: 79% 72% 66% 72% 67% 65% 59% 66% 59% 61% 58% 50% 15% 14% 11% 4% 3% Plastic bottles and containers Always 2015 15% 13%13% 5% 17%15% 5% 5% 9% Aluminum cans Always 2017 Occasionally 2016 17%16% 7% 6% 6% 7% 8% 21% 18% 19% 16% 9% 14%13% 19% 13% 8% 7% 6% 12% 1% Cardboard Occasionally 2017 Newspapers, magazines and other related paper Not too often 2015 Glass bottles Not too often 2017 Food and beverage cartons Never 2015 Never 2017
Altruism, the environment and social responsibility continue to drive recycling What are the main reasons or motivations behind you choosing to recycle food and beverage cartons? (Only the top open-ended responses are shown. ) 34% Good for the environment/planet 13% 12% They are recyclable/they can be recycled Don't want recyclables to end up in landfills 8% It's the right thing to do/trying to do my part 6% 8% 6% Less garbage/waste Don't know/refused 5% 3% Easy to recycle/convenient 4% 5% Good/like to recycle Recyclables can be re-used Required/required by the city 11% 3% 4% 3% 5% 2% 3% Dec-15 Jan-17 Base: Asked of those who always or occasionally recycle their food and beverage cartons. 43%
Respondents were more likely to indicate a relationship between environmental responsibility and brand loyalty than in previous years Would you say personally, that your loyalty to food and beverage products is impacted by that brand’s engagement with environmental causes? 16% Yes, definitely 21% 23% 29% Yes, probably 37% 33% 36% Probably not 31% 34% 19% Definitely not 10% 11% Jun-18 Jun-13 Dec-15 Dec-18 Jan-18 Dec-17
Recycling and environmentally responsible behavior for brands are increasingly expected Do you expect food and beverage brands to actively help increase recycling of the packages they use for their products? 50% 53% Yes, definitely 61% 36% 38% Yes, probably 31% 11% Probably not 7% 6% 3% Definitely not 2% 1% Jun-13 Dec-15 Dec- 17 Dec-18
Product packaging remains the most frequently cited source for product recycling information, but to a lesser degree than previous years While shopping, if you noticed that a product’s package did not have a symbol or language indicating it is recyclable, would you assume that package was NOT recyclable? From the following list of choices, which TWO would you turn to first to learn about the recyclability of a package? 50% Product's packaging 47% 45% Product's company website 40% 35% 28% 16% 26% City website 30% 25% Advertising 28% 26% 17% 18% Friends and family 10% The news (TV, radio, print, etc. ) 5% 0% Consumer advocacy group Yes, definitely Yes, probably Probably not Definitely not Inquiring with a store or sales person Jun-13 Dec-15 Dec-17 Jan-17 10% 12% 9% 8% 8% 6% 8% 34% 22% 10% 20% 15% 33% 15% 34% 29% 57% 76%
State-By-State Breakdown Top States That Report They Recycle Their Cartons Most Often 1. Rhode Island 2. New Hampshire 3. Connecticut 4. Massachusetts 5. Delaware States That Have the Most Supportive Outlook on Recycling 1. Rhode Island 2. New Jersey 3. Wisconsin 4. New Hampshire 5. Pennsylvania
10 For questions about the research, please contact: Kate La. Vail, Ph. D. kate. lavail@researchdatainsights. com +1 404 8009
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