Consumers' views on sustainable packaging have changed significantly over time. Initially, sustainable packaging was considered a minor factor in the purchasing decision, but now it is becoming increasingly important as a purchasing driver.

This is reflected in consumers' willingness to pay a higher price for products with environmentally friendly packaging. For example, according to data reported by an international survey by Mintel, 31% of Indians are willing to pay an extra cost for food products with green packaging, while 43% of Brazilians say that green packaging would encourage them to choose one product over another.

So responsible packaging has become increasingly important for environmentally conscious consumers. Over 60% of Italians say they are willing to switch to food brands that offer more sustainable packaging. This shows a growing awareness and preference for responsible solutions in the purchasing decision-making process.

Similarly, there is also increased awareness of the importance of sustainable packaging within the circular economy. Producers of technologies and materials need to take action, then, to ensure circular economy strategies are designed to be effective. In fact, consumers feel that companies have a responsibility to increase the amount of recycled packaging and they consider the use of recycled materials to be a significant factor when deciding whether food packaging is  sustainable. Also according to the international survey carried out by Mintel, 55% of Germans believe that companies are responsible for increasing the amount of recycled packaging, while 46% of Britons believe that the use of recycled materials is important in order to consider food packaging sustainable and 47% of Americans agree that packaging made from recycled materials is attractive when shopping.

In general, therefore, consumers are increasingly aware of the environmental impact of packaging and are willing to make choices that contribute to sustainability. This change in the consumers' perspective  has inevitably influenced the market, pushing companies to consider the adoption of more sustainable packaging solutions as almost essential and forcing technology companies to innovate in this direction.