Generational preferences on sustainable packaging concepts

Awareness regarding environmental issues is increasing among consumers, which also applies to the young consumers of generation Y (born 1980-1995), often referred to as Millennials. Existing studies have made evident that this generation is seeking more and more for sustainable options within the great abundance of products and services. Moreover, they are
willing to pay more for sustainable products from brands that are regarded as environmentally conscious. As for the packaging, they highly value pro-environmental aspects of a package, however, their view of such packaging is different from other generations.

Additionally, Millennials have a high preference for experiential designs and value the appeal and aesthetics of packaging. The combination of Millennials’ positive attitude towards sustainable product-packaging combinations and their preference for appealing packaging emphasize that research should focus more on the packaging design.

Currently, there are some insights into packaging features that convey sustainability according to Millennials and other generations, depending on the type of study. However, this is mainly based on theoretical research and a link with the actual design is missing. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to look from a design-focused perspective and present consumers
with actual packaging designs instead of focusing on descriptions of the packaging. Packaging features regarding sustainability, extracted from existing studies, are integrated into design concepts and consequently evaluated by different generational groups of respondents. The results reveal how different generations respond to the sustainable packaging concepts and whether their choices are in line with existing studies.

This research increases the understanding of differences in generational preferences of sustainable packaging. Packaging designers and developers are, in particular, provided with design-oriented tools to assist in designing packaging that clearly communicates sustainability to young consumers.