Impact of Packaging Recycling on Product Quality

Researchers at the University of Bonn have discovered that recycled labels on PET bottles can significantly improve consumers' perception of the quality of orange juice products, particularly in terms of taste, safety, and sustainability.

The study, funded by the Ministry of Culture and Science of North Rhine-Westphalia as part of the Transform2Bio project, involved 1080 German consumers who were randomly assigned to one of three groups in an online survey. Each group saw an image of a fictional orange juice in a PET bottle: either without a label, with a 25% recycled label, or with a 100% recycled label.

The results of the study suggest that it could be worthwhile for companies to actively communicate a higher recycled content to consumers. Consumers with higher environmental awareness showed an increased perception of the quality of orange juice products in PET bottles containing at least 25% and 100% recycled material. This "halo effect" enhances expected product quality, particularly through expected sustainability, taste, and safety.

The European Union mandates that single-use PET bottles in member states contain at least 25% recycled material by 2025, with this proportion set to rise to at least 30% by 2030. In Germany, the recycled content in PET bottles already exceeds the legally prescribed minimum value.

The positive information from a sustainability label often transfers to other quality characteristics, according to the researchers. The influence of the recycled label on the perception of taste is likely to be similar for other juices, but could be lower for more neutral beverages like water.

Companies can voluntarily label their products with the recycled content. The study found that a recycled label increases consumers' expectations about the quality of the product. This effect of a recycled label on the perception of quality has already been proven in various product and packaging contexts.

In addition to the expected sustainability, the taste and safety of the recycled label also contribute positively to how much a recycled label improves the expected product quality of the orange juice, the study noted.

The researchers at the University of Bonn investigated how consumers perceive the quality of products with recycled content in their packaging, using orange juice as an example. Their findings provide valuable insights for companies looking to communicate the environmental benefits of their products to consumers effectively.