Ease over Earth: An exploratory study of the awareness of packaging sustainability among young online shoppers in UAE

The tremendous growth of online retail shopping has created another challenge for the environment: the disproportionate packaging waste generated by each delivery of products purchased online. While consumers in countries with a high rate of adoption of online retail shopping have realized the massive proportions of this problem, in other regions awareness remains low. This article aims to explore the awareness of packaging sustainability among young consumers in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and identify effective solutions to mitigate excessive packaging waste. Additionally, it seeks to probe directions for future studies on sustainable packaging practices, particularly in rapidly growing markets for online retailing. The study employs secondary research and primary data collection through an online survey targeting young UAE consumers. Findings suggest that while awareness exists, proactive institutional and individual measures remain limited. The study contributes theoretically by addressing a research gap in the sustainable practices in emerging markets, and practically by informing policy-makers and businesses about the need to have regulations on sustainable packaging.