Over half of consumers say they have reduced the amount of disposable plastic they are using in the last year, according to a report which praises the ‘Attenborough effect’.

The report claims that awareness raising initiatives over the last 12 months, including ‘David Attenborough’s acclaimed TV series Blue Planet II and Our Planet, released on Netflix on April 5th’, are having a positive impact in changing people’s behaviour.

According to the study of 3,833 consumers by GlobalWebIndex into sustainable packaging in the UK and US, 42 per cent of consumers say products that use sustainable materials are important when it comes to their day-to-day purchases.

A report claims that David Attenborough’s environment documentaries are having a positive impact on the public (Picture: PA)

In the UK, 82 per cent of respondents who value sustainable packaging say it’s important to them because they’re concerned about the future of the environment.




Beyond a general concern for the environment, in the UK, motivations for buying sustainable packaging are more self-directed; focused on a personal desire to be less wasteful.

Importantly, 3 in 10 consumers do not feel they currently have enough information about what packaging can be recycled.

Notably, there is a significant difference in this perception held by women and men, 44 per cent and 29 per cent respectively.

The study also shows that as consumers get older, the gap between affordability and sustainability increases.

Plastic pollution in the ocean poses a threat to marine biodiversity (Picture: BBC Picture Archives)

For example, affordability is more important in day-to-day purchases for consumers aged 55-64 than it is for consumers aged 16-24.

There’s a 20 percentage-point difference between the age groups when it comes to affordable products.

Sustainable materials are more of a consideration for younger consumers.

Furthermore, the data also shows that Generation Z are 26 per cent more likely to be swayed by other people’s opinion compared to the average internet user.

Their increased exposure to social media and impressionability has magnified the plastics revolution.

Sustainable materials are more of a consideration for younger consumers (Picture: BBC Picture Archives)

Chase Buckle, trends manager, at GlobalWebIndex said: ‘It may come as a shock to some that the younger consumers are more considerate about sustainable materials than older generations.

‘What is important to note, is that the younger generations grew up during the height of the sustainability crisis with high-profile, environmentalist documentaries widely available on the content platforms they prefer over conventional TV.’

New contact tracing app launches today after months of delays

The research also found that consumers are guided mostly by media sources and peer groups, though 1 in 4 internet users say brand messaging has the biggest impact in guiding their views on sustainability.

In the US and UK, 2 in 3 consumers think brands that make a public promise to be sustainable are more trustworthy.

Got a story for Metro.co.uk? Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@metro.co.uk. For more stories like this, check our news page.