Consumer attitudes to the use of recycled material in electronic products
Most consumers would accept the use of recycled materials in electronic products, as demonstrated by new WRAP research conducted by Ipsos MORI in 2008.
High-end products containing recycled plastic were discussed and reviewed by focus group participants - including a television, a vacuum cleaner and a concept mobile phone. The response was a largely positive one, with participants expressing admiration for companies that used recycled material in their products.
Function, value, style and brand were held to be more important than environmental considerations. However, the WRAP results show that some consumers would favour an electronic item containing recycled content at the point of purchase - if two items available were broadly similar in every other way.
In addition, consumers do not feel that manufacturers take environmental issues into consideration - though this assumption is largely based on the fact that consumers are not made aware of it if they do. A lack of appropriate labelling and consumer misunderstanding of logos were considered contributory factors.
This report will now inform WRAP's future work on the promotion of the use of recycled material in the manufacture of new products.
