Sustainable packaging for fresh produce is intensely important for both consumers and retailers, according to data gathered by The Packer.
In The Packer’s Sustainability Insights 2025 survey, nearly 4 out of 5 consumer respondents (79%) reported that sustainable packaging in fresh produce was important, very important or extremely important to them. Similarly, in The Packer’s Fresh Trends 2026 survey, over half of respondents said the sustainability of fresh produce packaging impacts their purchasing decision in some way: sometimes (30%), usually (16%) or always (8%).
Consumers also claim they are willing to pay for produce in sustainable packaging. Depending on specific packaging traits, 68% to 72% of Sustainability Insights’ consumer respondents said they were willing to pay more for produce in sustainable packaging. In general, more consumer respondents reported a willingness to pay more for produce in bio-based packaging (72%) than for produce in recycled or recyclable packaging (both at 68%).
Willingness to pay more for sustainable packaging differed greatly by age, however, with younger respondents more frequently indicating they would than did older respondents. For example, only 10% of respondents in the youngest age group of 18-24 said they would not pay more for produce packaged in compostable materials. This compares to 47% of respondents aged 65 or older.
Similarly, a higher rate of younger respondents reported they were willing to spend more for fresh produce packaged in sustainable materials. To use the same example, 40% of respondents aged 18-24 indicated they would be willing to spend up to 10% more for produce packaged in compostable materials. Another 40% said they would be willing to spend up to 15% more. This compares to 44% and 5%, respectively, for respondents aged 65 or older.
Retailers on Sustainable Produce Packaging
It’s not just consumers who see big value in sustainable produce packaging. Retailers who participated in the Sustainability Insights survey also ranked sustainable packaging as important to the overall sustainability of the fresh produce supply chain and their business.
Of retail respondents, 93% ranked recyclable packaging as important (24%), very important (33%) or extremely important (36%) to their overall sustainability, making it the top-ranked item. Other forms of sustainable packaging also ranked high for retailers. Biodegradable packaging came in at No. 2 with 92% of respondents ranking it at some level of importance. Compostable packaging came in at No. 4, with 86% of respondents indicating importance.
When asked what they mean by “sustainable packaging,” two-thirds of retailers said both “biodegradable” and “recyclable.” Slightly over half (54%) of retail respondents defined sustainable as “made from post-recycled materials,” and 52% defined it as “compostable.”
Retailer respondents appear to be increasingly convinced of consumers’ willingness to spend more for produce in sustainable packaging. In the 2025 survey, only 18% of retail respondents reported they thought consumers would not pay more for sustainable packaging. This is down from 28% in 2024 and 41% in 2023.
Retailer respondents also overwhelmingly said the cost of sustainable produce packaging should be borne by supply chain members other than the consumer.
In 2025, 77% of retailer respondents answered the question “How should the cost of sustainable packaging be shared across the supply chain?” with “A combination of growers, retailers, wholesalers, distributors and processors.” Only 5% of respondents said that cost should rest solely on the consumer.
Consumer Perceptions on Packaging Sustainability
Consumers agree that they are not the primary party responsible for the overall sustainability of their produce, with only 10% of respondents saying consumers are the most responsible. However, one reason why sustainable packaging might be so important to them is that it is an area where they feel they have some control over the produce sustainability question.
While respondents overwhelmingly reported seeing food companies, governments and growers as primarily responsible for the sustainability of fresh produce, 44% of respondents said they choose produce in eco-friendly packaging when possible. This was the highest response rate for any option to the question, “What are you personally doing, or would you like to do, to pursue a sustainable lifestyle?”
Interestingly, sustainable packaging also impacted how consumers viewed the produce in the package. Almost two-thirds (60%) of consumer respondents to Sustainability Insights said eco-friendly packaging is the No. 1 identifier of sustainable produce. In the 2025 report, sustainable packaging beat out even organic certification (59%), regenerative growing practices (46%) and local (45%) as an indication of sustainable produce.
