More than half of people lack trust in the quality and safety of reused or recycled products, research has revealed.
The British Standards Institution (BSI) polled more than 8,000 adults from countries including the UK, the US, China, India and Japan about their interactions with the circular economy.
Of those surveyed, 56 per cent said a lack of trust in the quality of ‘circular products’ might hold them back from buying or using them.
Just over 50 per cent said the same thing about their faith in the safety of such items. Fears over reliability and hygiene were also cited by 48 per cent.
Cost savings were ranked as a major driver of circular choices by more than two-thirds of adults polled.
This put financial factors slightly ahead of environmental ones in the decision making process.
BSI chief executive Susan Taylor Martin said trust remained “a crucial barrier to adoption” of reuse and recycling.
“For circularity to thrive, businesses must move beyond sustainability messaging and bolster it by demonstrating genuine value, durability and trustworthiness,” she added.
