Will Consumers Dictate Changes In Fast Food Packaging?
According to reports from national environmental groups fast food providers aren’t doing much to update their food packaging so that such products are recyclable and amount to less waste. While recyclable packaging options are available and some business have made the effort to incorporate more post consumer recycled materials into their disposables, many are said to be dragging their heels on significant packaging changes.
Why is this the case? Although plenty of companies see the benefit of attaching their name to social causes and best industrial practices, without the consumer demand for recyclable packaging, most businesses have little motivation for making a change.
Food Industry Drags Its Heels On Recyclable And Compostable Packaging | NPR
“The report’s authors note that governments and consumers need to continue to pressure the food industry to make more of this kind of progress in the area of food packaging. But that may be hard for consumers who’ve become increasingly confused as packaging has gotten more complex, Darby Hoover, senior resource specialist and project editor of the packaging report for the NRDC, told reporters.
‘It’s still confusing for consumers to look at the triangle on the bottom of plastic’ containers and know whether something is recyclable, she says. ‘So I think there is a call for companies to make these materials more readily understandable’.”