A study carried out by Cardiff University has revealed that 89% of the UK public believe all packaging should be made of recyclable materials.
Image: Overwhelming public support for government action on unrecyclable packaging. Photo: courtesy of Cardiff University.
According to the survey, which was undertaken as part of a project for the Centre for Industrial Materials, Energy and Products, three quarters (75%) of people want the government to make sure that businesses produce repairable and recyclable products.
The study also found that government policies resulting in better product and packaging design and longer lasting products reduce the most carbon emissions.
87% of people believe there is a strong or very strong need to shift to a society that utilizes resources in a better way, while just 0.4% are of the view that there is no need for this.
The study found that redesigning products to utilize less material and reducing packaging may result in reduced emissions by about 20%. The savings would increase to around 40% if products have a longer life.
Two thirds (65%) of people are frustrated by products that do not last, 81% believe businesses should provide repair, maintenance or disposal support for their products.
CIEMAP’s research, from workshops and a representative public survey of 1,093 people, found that resource efficiency is broadly supported.
Almost everyone who responded to the survey indicated a belief that there must be a shift towards a more resource efficient society, even if it affects the way they lived in future.
The research found that various approaches to resource efficiency are already very popular, especially product and packaging design changes and expanding product lifetimes.
Cardiff University’s Nick Pidgeon, who led the team conducting the research, said: “We were surprised by the level of agreement from the many people we surveyed and talked to in our workshops.
“It was overwhelmingly clear that people aren’t satisfied and want to see change. They really care about this. They want higher quality products and less waste. Improving resource efficiency is an easy win for both the public and the environment.”