Willing to Pay More for Sustainable Packaging?

Have you ever wondered why sustainable packaging prices could be so expensive? A burger box made from sugarcane, for instance, is almost twice as expensive as one made from polystyrene, as BBC observed. But have we dived in to understand why being sustainable is a costly affair?

With current technology, developing sustainable materials is still an expensive process. The additional costs come from research and development processes. Engineers need to put a lot of time and effort to ensure a perfect balance between safety, efficiency, and durability. 

Then, they have to develop a new manufacturing method to mass-produce the materials. Building a new manufacturing facility itself would, of course, require financial investments. With the limited scale of production, the manufacturers also need to put a higher price tag to maintain its operation. 

Fortunately, we’ve seen a number of leading brands beginning to focus on sustainability, without compromising quality. More companies, large, medium, and small, have begun to increase their efforts in safeguarding the environment by using sustainable packaging solutions, such as Foopak Bio Natura.

Some brands believe it’s worth it. They absorb the costs and keep their products at a standard price. But, at the same time, others would instead pass on the cost onto retailers and consumers. If that’s the case, you might have to pay a bit more to get products with sustainable packaging. The price could go up 20 to 30 percent higher than non-sustainable ones, according to this article. 

Is that too much? See, if we assume that your regular Starbucks paper cup is valued at 10 cents, you’d have to pay $4.18 or more for a venti caffe latte, versus the usual $4.15. The Seattle-based coffee company has announced trials for recyclable and compostable cups, recently. But we don’t know if they’re going to charge extra for that yet. 

So what do you think about it? Should brands raise the price of their products for the environment? Or are you willing to pay more to save the Earth? Let us know in the comments!