McKinsey’s latest global survey makes one thing clear: when it comes to food packaging, safety and freshness still come first. Consumers rank shelf life and protection as the most important aspects, ahead of price and value for money, when they speak about the packaging and not about the product itself.
And sustainability isn’t disappearing – it’s evolving. Recyclability tops the list of environmental priorities. Notably, younger, higher-income consumers even say they are willing to pay more for sustainable packaging options.
What global consumers think
McKinsey’s latest global survey, Sustainability in Packaging 2025: Inside the Minds of Global Consumers, offers fresh insights into how more than 11,000 consumers across 11 countries view packaging. For packaging converters and brand owners, the findings highlight both enduring priorities and evolving expectations.
When asked about the characteristics most important in a product, consumers answer that price and quality remain at the top, just like previous years. However, when it comes to attitudes towards packaging, the survey suggests that packaging is primarily there to protect the goods, and that it influences the buying decision.
Which packaging characteristics influence decisions?
So, when ranking which packaging characteristics that influence consumers’ purchasing decisions, the consumer name food safety and shelf life as their top factors. Products should have food-safe packaging, that protects them from external impact and harm. Interest in food safety surged to the top in 2020 and remains there. Concern for environmental impact rose from 20% in 2020 to a stable 39% in 2025, where it still stands.
The McKinsey 2020 survey indicated that the pandemic had heightened the food safety concerns among consumers, and this has remained consistent in later results.
Recyclable holds the top position
Consumers were asked which key sustainability characteristic they use to determine whether packaging is sustainable. The top position, reported in every country, is “Recyclable.”
This finding aligns well with the European Union’s Packaging Directive and the preparatory stages of the Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation, which focus on the need for recyclability to reduce waste. Consumers view recyclability as more important than “Made of recycled content” or “Reusable.” Fibre‑based food packaging materials are easy to recycle, and fresh fibre materials with food‑contact certifications therefore provide both sustainable and cost‑effective solutions.
Download the survey summary further below or explore our products for your packaging solutions.
Some of Holmen's products for food packaging
Holmen Elevate – the light-weight foodsafe kraftliner
Holmen Elevate is an ultra-lightweight, strong, and sustainably made kraftliner. It helps packaging producers reduce weight, materials, and emissions without sacrificing performance, food safety, or visual quality.
Holmen SURE for wrapping, void fill, and place mats
Holmen SURE is a family of food-safe protective packaging papers for anything from trayliners to industrial wrapping, interleaving and void fill. Use it with or without printing.
Inverform is an adaptable board for food-safe packaging
Made from pure wood fibres, Inverform opens up new product opportunities, ticking all boxes for sustainability and performance while providing optimal formability for your applications. Let’s create a world with less plastic and reduced food waste.