UK has already used its ‘ecological budget’ for 2026, with seven months still left!

Today is UK Overshoot Day. And, we are not even half way through the year!

Recent research from Pro Carton, the European Association of Carton and Cartonboard Manufacturers, highlights how sustainability continues to influence purchasing decisions, even amid ongoing cost pressures, with clear implications for how brands approach packaging.

Key UK findings include:

• 55% say sustainability has become more or very much more important to them over the last 12 months, rising to 69% among 18 to 29s.

• 71% say they will continue to purchase sustainable products, but only if they cost the same.

• 62% say that sustainable packaging increases their trust in a brand.

• 72% prefer cartonboard/cardboard packaging over plastic, rising to 92% among over 60s.

• Consumers would on average pay 6% more for sustainably packaged products.

• 88% say they are confident about what packaging can and cannot be recycled.

• 47% believe non recyclable packaging should be banned.

• Only 16% completely trust brands to be honest about recyclability claims.

Winfried Muehling, director of marketing and communications at Pro Carton, said: ‘Today marks UK Overshoot Day, the point at which the UK has now burnt through its ecological budget for the entire year. With more than seven months left on the calendar we are now firmly in an environmental overdraft. And there is no such thing as an environmental loan to help. 

‘Data shows the UK public is not turning a blind eye to the problem.

‘Sustainability is becoming a bigger factor in purchasing decisions, packaging is under greater scrutiny, and brands are increasingly judged on whether their environmental promises match reality. Consumers know what can and cannot be recycled, and they are becoming increasingly savvy about the reality of what happens to waste after it has been put in the bin. This means that they are now judging brands and retailers directly on the packaging they see on the supermarket shelves, not on the product inside.

‘This is why small, incremental changes are no longer enough. Packaging needs to be designed with circularity and sustainable materials in mind from the very beginning, keeping it in use for longer, recycling it to new packaging again and again, rather than allowing it to become waste after a single use. As consumer expectations get sharper, the pressure is now on industry to match that pace of change.

‘So, days like today should force a more honest question. If consumers are already rethinking brand loyalty and the way they buy products, is industry changing quickly enough to meet them there, or will we continue to push further into environmental overdraft?’