Dvi Survey on Packaging: Recyclability Is the Most Important Factor

According to the survey, consumers in Germany generally rate how well packaging meets their expectations as “good” on average, but they underestimate its recyclability.


The results of a representative survey of approximately 1,000 people between the ages of 18 and 79 were published by the Deutsches Verpackungsinstitut (German Packaging Institute, dvi) in collaboration with eleven industry associations, including the IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen (Industrial Association for Plastic Packaging), IPV Industrieverband Papier- und Folienverpackungen (Industrial Association for Paper and Film Packaging), and Flexible Packaging Europe, on the occasion of the 11th National Packaging Day on June 11, 2026, according to a press release. According to the report, survey participants were asked about 13 expectations that packaging should meet in everyday life. For nine of these aspects, the majority rated the results as “good” or “very good”; none of the criteria were rated “poor” or “very poor” by the majority of respondents. According to the survey, recyclability tops the list of expectations for packaging at 48 percent. This is followed by economical use of materials (40.3 percent), low environmental impact (36.1 percent), and reusability (33.3 percent). At the same time, consumers expect key protective functions such as hygiene (37.6 percent), ease of use (33.1 percent), product protection (32.6 percent), and extended shelf life (32.1 percent).
 
When asked how well packaging fulfills these respective tasks and expectations in everyday life, respondents rated it, on average, as “good” to “very good.” According to the survey, the top three aspects out of the 13 surveyed in terms of satisfaction are ensuring hygiene (very good or good: 81.7 percent), product protection (very good or good: 78.18 percent), and extending shelf life (very good or good: 70.3 percent). In addition, nearly 70 percent of consumers surveyed feel well or very well informed by the information on the packaging (69.6 percent), and 68.3 percent—almost as many—feel supported while shopping (ease of finding the product on the shelf). There is room for improvement in terms of ease of use (opening, using, resealing), which was rated as “good” or “very good” by a narrow majority of 52.5 percent of respondents, but as “poor” or “very poor” by 12.9 percent. The worst rating of all 13 aspects went to the economical use of packaging material, which was rated as “good” or “very good” by only 35.6 percent. In fact, however, significantly less material and fewer resources are needed to package products than in the past, emphasized Dr. Natalie Brandenburg, Managing Director of the German Packaging Institute (dvi). The industry needs to communicate this fact much more clearly.
 
According to the survey results, there is also a lack of information regarding the recycling of packaging, the report continues. According to the survey, more than two-thirds of respondents underestimated the reality: for example, only 31.2 percent knew that glass (2024: 82.9 percent) and paper, paperboard, and cardboard (2024: 91.8 percent) are recycled at rates exceeding 80 percent. For plastics as well, the estimates of about two-thirds of respondents—at less than 60 percent—were significantly below the actual recycling rate of 70.8 percent; and for composite materials, 70.7 percent believe the recycling rate is below 60 percent, even though, according to data from the Federal Environment Agency (UBA) and the Central Packaging Register (ZSVR), 69.5 percent was actually recycled in 2024.
 
According to the survey, persistent myths about packaging—such as “in the end, everything gets incinerated”—also affect perceptions of packaging’s environmental footprint. The survey shows that only just under one in five Germans (19.5 percent) know that, on average, packaging has a significantly smaller environmental footprint than the product it contains. More than two-thirds of Germans (41.3 percent) misjudge this and assume that packaging has the larger ecological footprint. In this context, dvi Managing Director Brandenburg also pointed out that, on average, only 3.0 to 3.5 percent of the climate impact of packaged food is caused by the packaging itself.
 
Further information: Website on "Tag der Verpackung" (in German)
 
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