A new survey commissioned by food packaging specialist iKrafts shows that most UK consumers support sustainable packaging in principle, but are unwilling to pay significantly more for it when buying food.

The findings reveal a clear gap between consumer sustainability values and real purchasing behaviour.

Key Survey Findings

According to the survey:

• 47.51% would not pay anything extra for sustainable packaging
• 80.45% would not pay more than 5% extra
• only 6.04% would pay 10% or more extra
• 44.36% rank food quality as their top buying priority
• 37.93% rank price/value as their top priority
• only 8.53% rank packaging sustainability as their top priority

Quality and Price Still Dominate

The results suggest that food buyers continue to prioritize:

• taste and quality
• value for money
• affordability
• product performance

over packaging sustainability.

This creates a challenge for food producers, restaurants and retailers that want to switch to greener packaging materials.

Brands May Need to Absorb the Cost

iKrafts said the findings show that companies cannot rely on consumers to fund the transition to eco-friendly packaging.

Instead, brands may need to:

• absorb part of the cost
• renegotiate supply chains
• improve packaging efficiency
• reduce material use
• invest in lower-cost sustainable materials

Industry Insight

The survey highlights one of the biggest commercial tensions in sustainable packaging: consumers expect greener solutions, but many are not willing to pay a premium for them.

For food brands, the winning approach may be to make sustainable packaging cost-neutral through better design, lighter materials and supply chain efficiency.

Final Thought

Sustainable food packaging is becoming a brand responsibility, not simply a consumer-funded upgrade.

Companies that can reduce environmental impact without raising prices sharply may gain the strongest long-term advantage.

Last Updated on 29/05/2026 by Jota Machinery