The growing importance of recyclable Pet Food packaging

Pet parents' concerns regarding sustainability are on the rise. They strive to treat their beloved pets as cherished family members, prioritizing their health and well-being while also being environmentally conscious. While factors such as health and nutritional value have traditionally been the highest priority, research conducted by Mintel (1) highlights the increasing prominence of climate change concerns among pet parents.

Our ownresearch of over 3,000 European consumer also validates these findings. __Climate change remains the primary environmental concern among Europeans, and interest in this issue is growing. Plastic pollution, the second highest environmental concern, declined in comparison. __

Over 95% of respondents expressed environmental concerns, with climate change being the top concern among two-thirds of pet owners in France, Germany, Italy, and the UK. This grew from 35% to 41% in just one year. Interestingly, concern about carbon footprint gathers fewer votes than in our previous research, showing the link between climate change and carbon footprint is not always clear for consumers.

Sustainability and pet care shoppers: How environmental concerns are shaping purchase behavior in Europe

Our research tells us that European consumers are more likely to care about tangible impacts, such as being able to recycle packaging, than about sustainability considerations on how packaging is produced. While logos about minimized CO2 and water usage have a low purchase influence, we see that starting to change compared to previous research.

When pet owners in Germany were shown four dog food packages (with the price hidden), 17% (up from 14% from previous studies) selected the packaging that displayed low water usage and CO2 logos.

In contrast, pet owners’ engagement towards recyclability is very high. The majority (67-93%) check on-pack instructions to ensure their empty pet food pack goes in the right bin.

Knowing that recyclability is a key driver should encourage brands to clearly highlight when their packaging is recyclable.

Consumers believe recyclable packaging should be the industry standard. More than three quarters (76%) of consumers across the UK, Germany, Australia, China, and Brazil find recyclability the most important sustainability attribute for packaging, according to Amcor research. They want to recycle more, and they want brands to help them. In fact, 83% want brands to make it clearer how to recycle their packaging.

While pouches have a reduced carbon footprint versus heavier metal or glass containers, pouches for heat-processed or retort applications like wet pet food, have historically been one of the most difficult packaging solutions to make recyclable. In fact, when we embarked on our pledge to make all our packaging recyclable or reusable by 2025, we were told by many that a recyclable high-heat resistant pouch wouldn’t be possible.

In October 2020, Amcor introduced the world's first recycle-ready flexible retort pouch, AmLite HeatFlex™ Recycle-Ready. This high-barrier, high-heat resistant, award-winning packaging is in supermarkets for wet cat food. This innovative mono-PP pouch can be easily recycled within already existing plastic recycling streams in several European countries.

Rigorously tested and approved by major brands, including Nestlé and Mars, AmLite HeatFlex™ Recycle-Ready offers packaging that is up to 21% lighter with up to a 60% reduced carbon footprint__. (2)

With a complete portfolio of recycle-ready solutions for pet food - including for wet, dry, snacks and treats - we can help your brand meet the demands for more sustainability in pet food packaging and communicate that clearly to your consumers.

Stay tuned for the next article in our series of insights, which will explore pet owners' views on what kind of packaging is more sustainable.

(1) - Source: Amcor & Mintel Pet care webinar
(2) - Based on Amcor's ASSET lifecycle assessment system, certified by the Carbon Trust.