Source page: McKinsey & Company
Commentary
Unpacking packaging trends
Consumer | Sustainability
September 25, 2023 – In the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, hygiene concerns slowed the push to eradicate single-use packaging across several regions. Consumer perspectives have started to shift, however, according to a survey by senior partner David Feber and colleagues. The majority of consumers are less worried about hygiene and food safety than they were during the pandemic, even though their level of concern is still higher than it was before the pandemic. Meanwhile, pressure is mounting again for companies to address sustainability commitments while meeting consumer expectations.
To read the article, see “Sustainability in packaging 2023: Inside the minds of global consumers,” August 15, 2023.
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Visual form
Small-multiples trend chart. It uses one mini time-series panel per country.
Layout / body structure
The visual is arranged as a grid of country panels, each comparing 2020 with 2023 on the same 0 to 100 scale. Reader scans country by country to see whether concern about hygiene and food safety has stayed high or eased.
What is being compared
It compares consumer concern about hygiene and food safety versus the period before COVID-19 across countries including Brazil, India, France, the United States, Japan, Italy, the United Kingdom, Germany, and China.
Measurement system
The unit is percent of consumers who are more concerned about hygiene and food safety than before COVID-19. Each country panel uses the same percentage scale so the comparisons stay consistent.
Visible structure inside the graphic
The chart uses repeated mini panels with country names at the top, matching axes, and a shared legend-free layout. That small-multiples structure makes it easy to compare not only levels within one country but also direction of change across all the countries together.
Main takeaway from the visual
Concern has eased from the peak pandemic period, but it has not vanished. The small-multiples layout shows a widespread step down from 2020 to 2023 while still leaving the later readings above a zero-concern baseline.
Key standout values or extremes
The main standout is the repeated downward move across the country panels rather than one single market behaving completely differently. The chart title captures that shift directly by saying hygiene and food safety are less important than during COVID-19, not less important than before the pandemic altogether.
Controls / sequence, when applicable
This is a static chart image with no in-chart controls to operate.
Companion media, when applicable
There is no separate companion audio or video; the chart image is the full visual on this page.