The beauty business has been a prime mover in introducing initiatives to reduce its use of plastic packaging for some time. A strategy that has been pursued by major multinationals such as L’Oréal and organic Australian brands such as Inika alike.
A sustained move towards sustainability that is certainly striking a chord with Australian consumers reveals recent research from the Australian Retailers Association (ARA) in collaboration with the Queensland University of Technology (QUT).
Plastic reduction programs top the list of the five leading environmental and social concerns important to Australian consumers. Such steps forward increase customer loyalty and trust and promote more positivity towards brands and retailers than store-wide discounts, notes the study.
The attitudes of respondents is in sync with further government bans on single use plastics to be introduced on July 1st. Western Australia, for example, will ban several items including single use cutlery, stirrers and straws and the ACT will prohibit the use of plastic straws and cotton buds with plastic sticks from that date.
Consumers have spoken, says Paul Zahra, CEO of the ARA. “They want to see action on plastics given their unacceptable impact on the natural environment, and they are going to be drawn to the brands that are showing leadership on this front compared to those who are dragging the chain.”
Sustainability and climate action are a critical focus for the retail industry, he adds. “The ARA is committed to supporting the sector through initiatives like our Net-Zero Roadmap in the transition to the low carbon, circular economy of the future.”
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