Plastic-free opportunities in LATAM
Even when this is feasible for food manufacturers, how much demand is there for plastic-free packaging among Latin Americans?
According to market research company GlobalData, Latinos are actively seeking out products that use less plastic.
It conducted a consumer survey in 2018 involving 8,870 respondents and found 68% of Latin American consumers would stop buying or buy fewer products which are wrapped in plastic, compared with 51% of Europeans and 47% of North Americans.
However, plastic-free solutions are not always available for Latino consumers.
“Latin America countries have historically lagged behind the more developed [economies] in North America and Europe when it comes to the war on plastic,” Hakan Demirci, associate analyst at GlobalData told FoodNavigator-LATAM.
“Nevertheless, innovative start-ups are leading the way across Latin America in offering solutions to plastic consumption," he added. "Whilst recent strides in government regulation have made some impact in discouraging use, regional governments need to go further to ensure Latin America competes with North America and Europe.”
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