These results suggest that providing sustainability information about packaging can influence how much consumers are willing to pay, with both positive and negative results for alternative packaging.
"The way this type of information is communicated and marketed is crucial for increasing the adoption of alternative packaging," the authors stated. "Based on these findings, the discount relative to glass packaging was significant, especially considering that glass willingness to pay is nearly double that of flexible bags."
When consumers were asked to identify the most environmentally sustainable packaging among glass, aluminum, plastic or paper, "perceptions of glass were notably polarized," the authors said.
"Approximately 45% of respondents considered glass the most sustainable option, while 39% viewed it as the least sustainable," the authors said.
There's another factor as well.
"During the pandemic, there was a serious shortage of glass wine bottles, so I think the sustainability concept could be used as marketing tools for alternative packaging, especially in wines that are consumed within a year after bottling," Threlfall said.
"The results of this study indicate that while glass is the preferred wine packaging among consumers, labeling the carbon footprint of commercial wines could be a viable marketing opportunity for alternative wine packaging," the authors said.
Lanier Nalley, head of the Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness Department and a co-author, said, "I think glass packaging will always be seen as 'premium,' but there appears to be a niche market amongst younger consumers — those 21 and over — for alternative packaging."
The authors note that "regardless of the packaging and product, consumers can be skeptical of sustainability claims."
"There is so much jargon about sustainability and so many different certifications that, many times, consumers struggle to internalize what sustainability means and what labels represent," Nalley said.
While the study doesn't directly affect his day-to-day work, Bartz said the research did give insights "on the pros and cons of sustainable packaging and how it can impact consumer choices."
In addition to Bartz, Threlfall and Nalley, study authors included Brandon McFadden, professor and Tyson Endowed Chair in Food Policy Economics, and Shelby Rider, program associate, both with the Department of Agricultural Economics and Agribusiness for both the Division of Agriculture and Bumpers College. Nalley and McFadden were key to the study's conceptualization, funding and for keeping the project on track, Threlfall said.
Glass also rose to the top outside of the study.
"I drink the wine my wife buys, and that is always in glass bottles," Nalley said.
McFadden added, "My last wine was also glass, but the fact that glass is so prevalent has a lot to do with that choice."
The United States is the fourth-largest wine producer globally, producing about 623 million gallons with a total economic impact of $323 billion, including wages, tourism and taxes.