Bottles made of recycled plastic protect resources and relieve the climate. But how do consumers react when the recycling content is effective on the packaging? A new study operates: a corresponding label can significantly upgrade the image of products. Many environmentally conscious consumers even assumed that orange juice tasted better from a recycled bottle. But why?
Recycling is considered the central element of the circular economy. Since 2025, disposable PET bottles in the EU have had to contain at least 25 percent recycled plastic material, and the proportion is scheduled to increase to 30 percent by 2030. In Germany, the value is already higher. It is up to you whether companies show the recyclery share on their products. But how does such a reference to consumers work?
How do recycling labels influence our perception?
In order to find out, researchers around Madita Finke from the University of Bonn have now examined the effect of corresponding labels using the example of orange juice. To do this, they showed 1,080 test subjects by random one of three product images: an orange juice in a PET bottle without identification, one with the label “This bottle consists of 25 percent recyclate” or a packaging material with a reference to 100 percent recycled. Then the respondents should state how sustainable, tasty and secure they assessed the juice.
The result: The markings with a recyclery share increased significantly the sustainability expected by the test subjects-especially with the bottle with a 100 percent label. Interestingly, this positive impression also colored other assessments such as taste and security, as Finke and her colleagues report. The respondents combined the sustainable image of the juice with a higher quality and therefore automatically assumed that it also tastes delicious. This effect was particularly strong in participants with a pronounced environmental awareness.
Recommended labeling
According to the researchers, this mechanism can also be transferred to other products – especially if the labeling goes beyond the legally required minimum standard. In the case of water or expensive branded products, however, the effect could be weaker because the taste here is either so neutral that positive expectations hardly grip, or because consumers expect high quality in premium products that a recyclable label can hardly further increase.
Nevertheless, Finke and her team recommend: “Based on the results of our study, it makes sense that companies in Germany show the recyclery of their PET beverage bottles transparently and, if possible, increase them beyond the legal minimum standard. This could strengthen their competitiveness through an increased perception of sustainability and quality and position their brand as pioneering.”
Source: University of Bonn; Specialist articles: Food Quality and Preference, DOI: 10.1016/J.Foodqual.2025.105647
