The free study also shows that recycling was cited frequently (45%) as the most important environmental concern for packaged beverages. Health concerns and economic issues also contribute to recent category declines in packaged beverage purchases.

This BeveragePulse.com report "Environmental Concerns: The impact on beverage and package decisions" contains these and many other findings such as:

  --  Environmental concerns are driving down the consumption of bottled
      Water

  --  Although 56% of consumers cite recycling as a critical issue, many are
      not recycling at work or away from home

  --  Concern for environmental issues among consumers has heightened as a
      result of the Gulf oil spill

  --  Half of the respondents are confused about the meaning of
      sustainability, some citing it as a negative environmental attribute

The research utilized a mixed methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative methods to explore what drives consumers' packaged beverage purchasers. The study sampled over 500 respondents giving a margin of error of +/-4.29 at the 95% confidence level.

Bob Falkenberg, founder of BeveragePulse.com and president of Concept Catalyst says, "Our research shows that consumers think about the environment when they are making beverage purchases; specifically, the findings indicate that consumers relate positively to packages that are easy to recycle. Beverage companies should start a full court press on recycling."