Bridging Awareness and Action: Strategic Enablers of Sustainable Packaging Adoption in FMCG Food Markets

ABSTRACT Despite growing environmental concerns, awareness, and regulations, nonbiodegradable packaging has intensified the need for uneven, slow adoption of sustainable packaging in the fast‐moving consumer goods (FMCG) sector. Although consumers express interest in eco‐friendly packaging, their actual purchase behavior is influenced by factors such as price, trust, convenience, and awareness. Existing research has examined firms' initiatives, consumer attitudes, and policy regulations in isolation, offering limited insights into their interactions in shaping adoption outcomes. This research addresses the above gaps by developing a framework to identify and prioritize the key enablers of sustainable packaging adoption in FMCG food markets. The research study combines exploratory factor analysis (EFA) with the analytical hierarchy process (AHP) to empirically validate prominent components, including consumer awareness, policy, and innovation‐based factors. Based on these components, the study proposes a theory‐based input–process–output framework referred to as the Green Bridge Model for the adoption of sustainable packaging. The study contributes to the research by refining the understanding of behavioral adoption of sustainable packaging and providing actionable insights for managers and policymakers to accelerate the sustainable packaging transition in FMCG food markets.