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Recycling Behaviour of Italian Citizens in Connection with the Clarity of On-Pack Labels. A Bottom-Up Survey

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  • Farzaneh Amir Kavei

    (Dipartimento Energia “Galileo Ferraris”, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

  • Laura Savoldi

    (Dipartimento Energia “Galileo Ferraris”, Politecnico di Torino, 10129 Torino, Italy)

Abstract

The present work studies, through an online survey, the recycling behaviours of a representative sample of Italian end users, in connection with the effectiveness of on-pack recycling indications of different packed materials. The study has a special focus on the clarity of on-pack recycling indications to convey waste sorting information, and the impact of clear and straightforward labelling to improve the sorting result. The work took advantage of social media as the distribution platform, thus obtaining a relatively high involvement of citizens. To investigate the representativeness of the sample, some of its characteristics were subject to checks and comparisons to their corresponding values of the Italian population. According to almost three-quarters of the responders, a clear and straightforward labelling will improve the result of their waste sorting drastically. The general awareness of the answerers relative to the importance of waste recycling and willingness to improve the quality of their sorted waste is very high among the participants but the overall satisfaction of the on-pack indications is relatively low. The score of on-pack labels in conveying information on recycling and waste segregation is evaluated as improvable. A higher perception of circular economy concept leads to more re-utilisation of the packaging parts, which increases with the awareness about the importance of recycling.

Suggested Citation

  • Farzaneh Amir Kavei & Laura Savoldi, 2021. "Recycling Behaviour of Italian Citizens in Connection with the Clarity of On-Pack Labels. A Bottom-Up Survey," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 13(19), pages 1-24, September.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jsusta:v:13:y:2021:i:19:p:10846-:d:646574
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Babak Nemat & Mohammad Razzaghi & Kim Bolton & Kamran Rousta, 2020. "The Potential of Food Packaging Attributes to Influence Consumers’ Decisions to Sort Waste," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(6), pages 1-22, March.
    2. Thiene, Mara & Scarpa, Riccardo & Longo, Alberto & Hutchinson, William George, 2018. "Types of front of pack food labels: Do obese consumers care? Evidence from Northern Ireland," Food Policy, Elsevier, vol. 80(C), pages 84-102.
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    5. Babak Nemat & Mohammad Razzaghi & Kim Bolton & Kamran Rousta, 2019. "The Role of Food Packaging Design in Consumer Recycling Behavior—A Literature Review," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 11(16), pages 1-23, August.
    6. Helén Williams & Fredrik Wikström & Katarina Wetter-Edman & Per Kristensson, 2018. "Decisions on Recycling or Waste: How Packaging Functions Affect the Fate of Used Packaging in Selected Swedish Households," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 10(12), pages 1-19, December.
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    1. Babak Nemat & Mohammad Razzaghi & Kim Bolton & Kamran Rousta, 2023. "Design-Based Approach to Support Sorting Behavior of Food Packaging," Clean Technol., MDPI, vol. 5(1), pages 1-32, February.
    2. Serena Mastria & Alessandro Vezzil & Andrea De Cesarei, 2024. "Switching to Reuse: The Impact of Information on Consumers’ Choices for Reusable Food Packaging," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(14), pages 1-14, July.
    3. Patrycja Wojciechowska & Karolina Wiszumirska, 2022. "Sustainable Communication in the B2C Market—The Impact of Packaging," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 14(5), pages 1-16, February.

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