Awareness and Perception of the Environmental Sustainability of Beverage Packaging Materials

Sustainability is an important issue, and there are growing concerns on what could be done to achieve it better. Beverage packaging materials have an important task to safely hold its content and allow for convenience in consuming drinks by the consumer. However, after consumption, it becomes an environmental sustainability concern. This paper investigated university-educated young consumers’ awareness, and perception of the impact different beverage packaging material choices have on environmental sustainability through a mixed methods action research approach. Prospective participants of the study were invited through the students' network and contact. The participants were requested to complete a survey with multiple choice answers and an opinion scale on various areas related to the environmental sustainability of beverage packaging. Conventional plastic-based beverage packaging materials were in the opinion of the majority of the surveyed consumers, to be most detrimental to the environment. However, that might not be the real case, as evident from the results of life cycle analysis (LCA) studies on several different beverages and packaging materials. It was noted that the students and alumni do care about environmental sustainability. However, there is some confusion among the respondents on how they could contribute effectively in their daily activities to the sustainability goal. Some still lack practical knowledge that can guide their purchasing decisions and disposal practice for consumed packaging. Some propositions for future actions and research on improving awareness and actions were provided.