Diana Mariska, Jakarta – Eight in 10 Indonesians are aware of the importance of leading a healthy lifestyle, while maintaining a small environmental footprint, according to a recent survey by Tetra Pak, a Sweden-based food processing and packaging solutions firm.
Tetra Pak announced the finding of its global survey in a report titled "The Convergence of Health & Environment."
The survey, conducted in Indonesia, Britain, Saudi Arabia, Brazil and the United States, was aimed at gauging consumers' understanding of the connection between personal health and environmental sustainability.
A thousand respondents, mainly on the islands of Java, Sumatra, Kalimantan and Sulawesi, were involved in the Indonesian leg of the survey, conducted in April this year.
Almost 60 percent of respondents agreed that their choice of personal health products had an impact on the environment, while close to 70 percent believed the environment affected their personal health.
The survey also showed that 86 percent of Indonesian consumers considered a healthy lifestyle important, while 80 percent agreed on the need to live in a way that has minimum environmental impact.
"From these figures, we can see Indonesian consumers are already highly aware of health and the environment, regardless of whether they would take concrete steps [in this regard]," Gabrielle Angriani, communications manager of Tetra Pak in Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines and Indonesia, said during Thursday's event.
The study further showed that consumers with high health and environmental awareness were more likely to adjust their behavior to ensure better outcomes.
"Among the highest actions related to the environment are recycling when possible, buying sustainable products and reducing plastic use," Gabrielle said. "Related to health, among the highest actions is maintaining a healthy diet, when possible."
However, the study also showed that only 42 percent of Indonesian respondents recycle.
"One of the reasons for this is the limited options for recycling in Indonesia. But we can start with small things, such as dividing waste based on recyclability," she said.
Another aim of the study was to call on the food and beverage industry to respond to the consumer's need for healthier options and environmental sustainability, which according to the study, is based on the following requirements: natural ingredients, no preservatives, organic products, and reusable and recyclable packaging.
"Respondents associate these aspects with healthy and environmentally friendly products. Hopefully, food and beverage industry players will pay attention to this demand in the market," Gabrielle said.
As a food processing and packaging company, Tetra Pak's recycling rate is expected to reach 22.5 percent this year, after it gained an additional collection partner to meet the challenges of Indonesia's recycling ecosystem.
"Last year, we had a recycling rate of 21 percent and we recycled more than 10,000 tons of waste. We will continue to improve this figure," she said.