70% AUSSIES REDUCING PLASTIC USE

The latest Climate Reality Barometer published by Epson has confirmed the trend to fibre in packaging, finding that 71 per cent of the population is already reducing its plastic consumption.

The Climate Reality Barometer, a survey of people from a diversity of markets, ages and backgrounds to gauge understanding of, and attitudes towards climate change.

The 2023 Barometer has been expanded significantly – now reaching 30,000 people (26,000 in 2022) across 39 global markets (28 in 2022). The Barometer also, for the first time, explores and attempts to better understand the attitudes of those born since the first Conference of the Parties (COP) in 1995 – known as the COP Generation (Gen COP).

As a result, there are key market findings for Australia in the 2023 Epson Climate Reality Barometer, with some more disturbing and surprising than others.

As part of the Epson Climate Reality Barometer 2023, Australians reported that rising prices is the biggest issue facing the world today (73.9 per cent). This was followed with a large gap by climate change, at 44.8 per cent. Also high on the agenda was poverty at 42.2 per cent.

The COP Generation (those aged 29 and under) in Australia is slightly more concerned about climate change than those aged 30 and over, with 47.2 per cent vs 44 per cent listing it as one of the biggest issues facing the world today.

The proportion of people in Australia who are optimistic we can avert a climate disaster in their lifetime has climbed a little from 37.4 per cent in the 2022 Barometer to 39.4 per cent this year.

People are already taking action on certain things to mitigate the climate emergency, and in Australia, the top three actions people report that they are already doing, include using more reusable goods (80.6 per cent), improving recycling habits (74.4 per cent) and reducing plastic use (71.1 per cent). Some 42.6 per cent will switch to more sustainable products in the future.

People in Australia believe the most important things companies can do in the fight against climate change are improving recycling and reusing products (44 per cent), investing in environmental technologies (40.5 per cent) and reducing natural resources in production and transport, for example water and fossil fuels (31.5 per cent).