The Japan Steel Can Recycling Association conducted a questionnaire survey in April 2003, targetting 500 men and women who had bought more than one soft drink in the past year, with the aim of understanding consumer awareness about beverage and food containers. The association is a non-profit organization established in 1973 with the purpose of contributing to society through practices and studies to help prevent littering and promote recycling of used steel cans.

Respondents were asked if they choose specific types of containers when buying beverages or food. For soft drinks, 51.0% answered yes. The following are the types of containers respondents prefer for each type of product and the reasons for their choices.

Soft drinks: 42.2% of respondents choose plastic bottles because they are easy to use.
Beer: 37.6% of respondents choose aluminum cans because they are highly recyclable.
Japanese sake: 21.3% of respondents choose glass bottles and 17.6% choose paper cartons because they make the contents seem more tasty.
Milk: 60.6% of respondents choose paper cartons because they are easy to use.
Tuna: 20.2% of respondents choose steel cans because they are easy to use and safe.
Meat sauce: 11.0% of respondents choose steel cans and 9.0% choose retort packs because they are easy to use.

The questionnaire also asked about impressions of containers. Asked what container is "environmentally friendly," 56.2% of respondents named carton packs, while 27.2% of respondents chose glass bottles and 19.0% chose plastic bottles. And asked what container is "effectively recycled," 53.8% of respondents thought that aluminum cans were effectively recycled and 47.4% and 46.4% named plastic bottles and paper cartons, respectively.

Over the question about materials used to make steel cans, on the other hand, a generation gap was evident and more respondents in their forties answered correctly, with 67.9% knowing that steel cans are made of iron. The percentage with the correct answers dropped with age, with 54.2% of teenagers answering correctly, the lowest among all age groups. This finding suggests that younger people are more indifferent to the materials used to make containers.

The association states that the survey helped it understand that many people are misinformed about steel cans, which nevertheless enjoy a high recycling rate of 86.1% of cans sold in Japan. At the same time, the association found that women in general, and people in their thirties and forties, consider steel cans to be suitable for long-term preservation and recycling.

http://www.steelcan.jp/english/index.html

Posted: 2003/10/22 11:18:09 AM
Japanese version

TAG Food/Water , Manufacturing industry , Material reduction , NGO/Citizen , Other