Sustainable packaging design and the consumer perspective: a systematic literature review

Sustainable packaging is gaining increasing prominence as a factor in consumer decision-making. This research aims to review and synthesise the literature addressing sustainable attributes and eco-friendly cues of consumer goods packaging. A systematic literature review was performed: 52 scientific articles published between 2010 and 2020 in peer-reviewed academic journals were included. Furthermore, a bibliometric analysis for bibliographic coupling was conducted. The review identifies four main research themes: consumers’ knowledge and understanding of sustainable packaging; studies that investigate green packaging following a holistic approach; studies employing an analytical approach to identifying relevant package cues; and consumers’ attitudes and behaviours towards eco-friendly packaging. The research integrates and enriches previous reviews analysing the topic of sustainable packaging from a different perspective. In addition, it provides a classification and rationalisation of recent articles, which the literature still lacks, bringing out relevant insights and avenues for future research. Finally, the review details the analysis of attributes and cues from an analytical point of view. Companies and practitioners may exploit the insights of this research to arrive at a sustainable packaging design effective and appreciated by consumers.