2026-11-02 ジョージア大学（UGA）
A new UGA study suggests that people will toss lighter weight plastics instead of recycling them. (Illustration by Lindsay Robinson/UGA)
＜関連情報＞
- https://news.uga.edu/thick-or-thin-plastic/
- https://link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s11747-026-01208-7
良い時も悪い時も？持続可能なパッケージデザインが消費者の廃棄物発生量を増加させる場合 Through thick and thin? When sustainable packaging design increases consumer waste generation
Lyndsay Loomer & Sarah C. Whitley
Journal of the Academy of Marketing Science Published:23 September 2026
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11747-026-01208-7
Abstract
Packaging decisions involve a complex balance of cost, functionality, efficiency, branding, and sustainability initiatives. One promising sustainability strategy that also reduces costs is lightweighting, a manufacturing practice aimed at reducing raw material usage. In reducing raw material use, lightweighting results in structural changes to the packaging, specifically a reduction in packaging density, which has downstream consequences on consumer disposal. When assessing packaging for disposability cues, we show packaging density drives perceptions of its quality, value, and associated feelings of waste aversion. While lightweighting reduces firms’ waste, this work finds that once low-density packaging gets into consumers’ hands, it produces more waste, as consumers are more likely to improperly trash low-density versus high-density recyclable packaging. However, prompting consumers to reconsider the value of low-density packaging can curtail this unintended wastefulness. This work highlights that even sustainable firm practices can result in unintended and unsustainable consequences.
