THE PLASTIC PARADOX: UNPACKING PUBLIC ATTITUDES

The report reveals a 'plastic paradox' where a vast majority of consumers in four European countries view plastic packaging as environmentally negative, yet are frequently persuaded by green logos to perceive the same products as environmentally positive. High levels of trust in recycling logos and a strong preference for labels indicating recyclability or recycled content significantly drive purchasing behavior across all surveyed markets.

• There is a widespread perception that plastic packaging is harmful to the environment across all surveyed countries: 76% of respondents in Poland, 71% in Great Britain, 74% in France, and 73% in Germany view it as a negative choice.
• Environmental logos create a paradox by leading a majority of consumers to view plastic products as environmentally positive, even when they generally view plastic negatively. This effect is seen in Great Britain (72%), Poland (65%), France (65%), and Germany (58%).
• Labels indicating that packaging is 'fully recyclable' or 'contains recycled plastic' strongly influence purchasing decisions, with approximately 70% to 76% of consumers in the surveyed countries more likely to buy products with such labels.
• Consumers exhibit high levels of trust in recycling logos, believing that products featuring them will be recycled if disposed of correctly. Trust levels are highest in Poland and Germany at 80%, followed by Great Britain at 78% and France at 73%.

APA

ClientEarth (2024). THE PLASTIC PARADOX: UNPACKING PUBLIC ATTITUDES. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ta2hfylq/vf-ipsos_client-earth_report_eng.pdf

Chicago

ClientEarth. THE PLASTIC PARADOX: UNPACKING PUBLIC ATTITUDES. 2024. https://www.clientearth.org/media/ta2hfylq/vf-ipsos_client-earth_report_eng.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=ClientEarth |title=THE PLASTIC PARADOX: UNPACKING PUBLIC ATTITUDES |date=2024 |url=https://www.clientearth.org/media/ta2hfylq/vf-ipsos_client-earth_report_eng.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{clientearth2024plastic, author = {{ClientEarth}}, title = {{THE PLASTIC PARADOX: UNPACKING PUBLIC ATTITUDES}}, institution = {ClientEarth}, year = {2024}, url = {https://www.clientearth.org/media/ta2hfylq/vf-ipsos_client-earth_report_eng.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }