A new pan-European poll from a range of global e-commerce brands conducted by packaging sustainability consultancy Aura at the E-PACK Europe conference in Vienna looks at the outlook for industry sustainability targets.

It finds that fewer than one in six (15%) e-commerce brands said they had all the data they would need to make informed changes on packaging.

Nearly half the industry leaders (46%) think greater sustainability leads to increased sales that will boost their organisation’s profitability.

However, 15% are concerned that the increased fees from legislation like Extended Producer Responsibility (EPR) will eat away any extra profits.

Additionally, more than three quarters of packaging professionals (85%) say their business’s sustainability targets are taking longer to reach than they expected, with a third (38%) admitting they currently lack sufficient data to make informed, positive changes when it comes to sustainability.

Aura managing director Greg Lawson commented: “The e-commerce sector is a key driver of packaging advancement and technology, so it’s concerning that many seem to be struggling to meet their sustainability targets.

“Live, real-time data is key, which is why many are investing in platforms to help them better understand and manage their packaging sustainability needs from moment one, during the product development stage, rather than relying on optimisation processes after the fact.”

The survey also revealed that nearly a third of industry leaders (31%) admit they’re struggling to educate consumers on packaging sustainability because every brand and retailer has its own rules and processes for doing so. A quarter (23%) think that education in this area is not just for brands and retailers.

Greg Lawson concludes: “Consumer education remains one of the great challenges when it comes to packaging sustainability. There is very little in the way of consistent rules, whether by brands or by governments, so it’s easy to understand why.

“To achieve a genuine circular economy, everyone must do their part in the education process and there has to be more consistency. It’s too easy for everyone to pass the responsibility on to someone else.”