Consumers increasingly prioritize sustainability for e-commerce packaging: Ryder

Packaging Dive reported the development on 2026-08-31. While consumers still seek value amid economic uncertainty, it’s a lower priority than last year, the logistics company found in a survey. Boxes remained consumers’ preferred e-commerce packaging format, but the reasons shifted.

The report places the news in a wider commercial context. E-commerce remains a dominant force in retail, but some aspects of consumer sentiment toward the channel and its packaging have shifted during the last year, according to newly released survey results from logistics company Ryder. Consumers are prioritizing premium experiences and sustainability more than in the past. While they still seek value amid economic uncertainty, it’s a lower priority than.

For the food sector, the practical implications extend beyond the immediate announcement. “Price continues to shape consumer behavior, but it is not acting alone,” according to the report. “[C]onsumers increasingly weigh additional factors such as ingredients and materials used in products and packaging.”.

Attention now turns to how companies, customers and regulators respond. “Being able to meet the consumer where they are, and understand what's important to that consumer, and reward good behavior, it goes a long way today — especially in a very competitive landscape,” he said. A third party surveyed 1,160 consumers for Ryder in March to gauge their sentiments about e-commerce and in-store retail activity from 2025 to 2026.