Table of Contents
Executive Summary
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- The market
- Ethics is becoming a bigger driver of behaviour
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- Figure 1: Ethical behaviours, April 2018
- The plastic issue gains in prominence
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- Figure 2: Proportion of online conversation around the topic of plastic waste, ocean plastic and plastic pollution, June 2015-April 2018
- Fragrance taking on more importance in household care
- Price remains a key purchase factor
- Growth in smaller homes expected
- Population set to increase among over-55s
- Companies and brands
- Proportion of new packaging launches remains similar
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- Figure 3: New product launches in the household care sector*, by launch type, 2014-17
- Product category launches influence package types
- Ethical claims decline despite engagement from consumers
- Ariel and Lenor Unstoppables focus on packaging in ads
- The consumer
- Recycling is a priority
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- Figure 4: Importance of packaging features on decision to purchase, by household care product type, April 2018
- Specified number of uses is a no-brainer
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- Figure 5: Importance of on-pack information factors on decision to purchase, by household care product type, April 2018
- Ethical concerns drive packaging interest
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- Figure 6: Interest in household care packaging concepts, April 2018
- Younger groups more influenced by packaging
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- Figure 7: Household care packaging behaviours, April 2018
- Consumers expect better from household care brands
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- Figure 8: Attitudes towards household care packaging, April 2018
- What we think
Issues and Insights
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- Ethical packaging as an increasing expectation
- The facts
- The implications
- Packaging as a way to engage younger groups
- The facts
- The implications
- Packaging has yet to catch up with fragrance innovation
- The facts
- The implications
The Market – What You Need to Know
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- Ethics is becoming a bigger driver of behaviour
- Government and brands intervene as focus on plastic issue grows
- Fragrance taking on more importance in household care
- Price remains a key purchase factor
- Growth in smaller homes expected
- Population set to increase among over-55s
Ethical Trends
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- Ethics is becoming a bigger driver of behaviour
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- Figure 9: Ethical behaviours, April 2018
- Majority of consumers recycle all the time
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- Figure 10: Frequency of ethical behaviours, April 2018
- Unilever signs up to OPRL scheme
- A rise in eco-friendly product usage
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- Figure 11: Value sales increase for Ecover and Method across household care categories, compared with the category as a whole, 2016-18
- The plastic issue gains in prominence
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- Figure 12: Proportion of online conversation around the topic of plastic waste, ocean plastic and plastic pollution, June 2015-April 2018
- Government and brands intervene
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- Figure 13: A Plastic Planet’s “plastic free” mark on Iceland own-label packaging, May 2018
- Ecover makes pledge to test biodegradable and bio-sourced packaging
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- Figure 14: Ecover pledges to test alternative biodegradable and bio-sourced packaging, May 2018
Product Trends
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- Fragrance taking on more importance in household care…
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- Figure 15: Example of launches with a focus on fragrance, 2018
- …but few products incorporate fragrance into packaging
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- Figure 16: Example of launches with packaging enabling trial of scent before purchase, 2018
- Price remains a key purchase factor
- Child safety likely to be crucial to performance of capsules
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- Figure 17: Examples of launches with child-safe packaging, 2017-18
- Subscription services offer sustainable option
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- Figure 18: Splosh refills to cut plastic waste, September 2017
Social Trends
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- Growth in smaller homes expected
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- Figure 19: UK households, by size, 2012-22
- Population set to increase among over-55s
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- Figure 20: Trends in the age structure of the UK population, 2012-22
- Birth rate plateaus
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- Figure 21: Number of live births in England and Wales, 1990-2016
- Most adults take responsibility for buying…
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- Figure 22: Responsibility for purchase of household care products, April 2018
- …but women remain the most prominent purchasers
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- Figure 23: Responsibility for purchase of household care products, by gender, April 2018
Companies and Brands – What You Need to Know
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- Proportion of new packaging launches remains similar
- Product category launches influence package types
- Ethical claims decline despite engagement from consumers
- Ariel promotes child safety aspect of packaging
- Lenor Unstoppables ad features sniff cap
Launch Activity and Innovation
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- Proportion of new packaging launches remains similar
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- Figure 24: New product launches in the household care sector*, by launch type, 2014-17
- Fabric care and paper products make up largest share
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- Figure 25: Share of new packaging launches by household care category, 2014-17
- Air care market influences packaging types
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- Figure 26: Proportion of launches in the household sector, by packaging type, 2014-17
- Bottle launches decline
- Wax melts and clam-packs
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- Figure 27: Examples of launches with clam-pack packaging, 2017
- Plastic remains most popular material
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- Figure 28: New product launches in the household sector, by material, 2014-17
- Decline in refills despite ethical interest
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- Figure 29: Proportion of new product launches in the household sector carrying packaging-related claims, 2014-17
Advertising and Marketing Activity
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- Lenor Unstoppables ad features sniff cap
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- Figure 30: Total above-the-line, online display and direct mail advertising expenditure in the household care sector, by top brands in 2017, January 2015-April 2018
- Ariel promotes child safety aspect of packaging
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- Figure 31: Campaign from Ariel highlighting recommendations to keep children safe featuring a family pack, January 2018
- Ecover launches Rubbish Café to promote sustainability
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- Figure 32: Ecover’s pop-up The Rubbish Café, April 2018
- Method highlights aesthetics and design
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- Figure 33: Method post promoting rose gold pink pomelo hand soap, May 2018
- Nielsen Ad Intel coverage
The Consumer – What You Need to Know
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- Recycling is a priority
- Specified number of uses is a no-brainer
- Ethical concerns drive packaging interest
- Younger groups more influenced by packaging
- Consumers expect better from household care brands
Packaging Features Influence on Purchase
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- Similar factors sought across household categories
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- Figure 34: Importance of packaging features on decision to purchase, by household care product type, April 2018
- Recycling is a priority for significant number
- Easy to store is another priority
- Easy to hold particularly important for hard surface cleaners
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- Figure 35: Importance of easy to hold packaging across household care categories, by age, April 2018
- Child safety is a priority across all products
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- Figure 36: Importance of child-safe locking mechanism, by age of children present in the household, April 2018
- Aesthetics is a low priority for most
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- Figure 37: Importance of colour and stylish shape across different household care categories, by age, April 2018
On-pack Information Influence on Purchase
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- Consumers judge value on information around number of uses
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- Figure 38: Importance of on-pack information factors on decision to purchase, by household care product type, April 2018
- Number of uses less significant for hard surface cleaners
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- Figure 39: Examples of launches with a specified number of washes/loads/uses, 2017-18
- Brands getting specific with length of efficacy
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- Figure 40: Examples of launches that specify length of efficacy, 2018
- Consumers open to more transparency
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- Figure 41: SC Johnson guiding people towards What’s Inside SC Johnson microsite, May 2018
- Multipurpose and antibacterial claims should be prominent
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- Figure 42: Examples of products with clear guidance on different tasks the product does on the front of packaging, 2017-18
Interest in Packaging Concepts
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- Ethical concerns drive packaging interest
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- Figure 43: Interest in household care packaging concepts, April 2018
- Bioplastics rare in the UK
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- Figure 44: Examples of launches in household care featuring bioplastic packaging, 2017-18
- Consumers may be prepared to adjust the way they shop
- Fragrance importance presents an opportunity
- Flexible pouches provide potential to reduce plastic usage
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- Figure 45: Examples of launches in flexible pouch packaging, 2017-18
Household Care Packaging Behaviours
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- Packaging is influential to a significant minority
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- Figure 46: Household care packaging behaviours, April 2018
- Younger groups more influenced by packaging
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- Figure 47: Agreement with “The packaging of household care products often influences what I buy”, by age, April 2018
- Value gained and online shopping helps big sized packs
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- Figure 48: Examples of launches carrying larger size claims, 2017-18
Attitudes towards Household Care Packaging
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- Consumers expect better from household care brands
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- Figure 49: Attitudes towards household care packaging, April 2018
- Taking the plastic issue seriously
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- Figure 50: Ecover launches using recovered ocean plastic and post-consumer recycled plastic, 2017
- Designer packaging appeals to young urbanites
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- Figure 51: Examples of designer packaging on household care products, 2016-17
- Younger groups likely to believe packaging denotes quality
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- Figure 52: Attitudes towards the design of household packaging, by age, April 2018
Appendix – Data Sources, Abbreviations and Supporting Information
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- Abbreviations
- Consumer research methodology
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