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The St. Petersburg Times

Eco-Consciousness Growing, One Package at a Time

By Lena Smirnova  Published: September 19, 2013

Russian consumers have more interest and demand for environmentally friendly packaging than their counterparts in some developed countries, but still are ranked at the bottom among 11 large consumer markets in terms of actual recycling activity, according to a study that global packaging giant Tetra Pak released this week.

 But while Russians are still acquiring eco-friendly habits, ecologists said Western consumers could influence packaging producers to make sure that the Russian natural resources they use are exploited in more sustainable ways.

 The link between the green mentality of consumers abroad and environmentally sound resource practices in Russia is particularly strong in the forestry sector where the majority of products are exported.

 To identify attitudes to recycling and eco-friendly packaging which has high paper content and is manufactured in a way that maximizes its ability to be recycled, Tetra Pak conducted online surveys and in-depth interviews of 7,000 consumers in 11 countries this spring.

 The study showed increased consumer demand for products in biodegradable and other low impact packaging, especially in developing markets where environmental degradation tends to be more glaring to local residents. However, people in these countries often could not match their enthusiasm for green containers with actual recycling activity due to a lack of infrastructure, said Libby Costin, Tetra Pak's global marketing director.

 More than three-quarters of Russian consumers questioned said they had purchased a product in eco-friendly packaging and 70 percent said they bought this product even though it cost more. These numbers were higher than those in Japan, Britain and the U.S.

 But when it came down to recycling activity, Russia placed second to last among the 11 countries, surpassing only South Africa. Just more than 50 percent of Russians said they sort and set aside items for recycling. The rates in Brazil, China and India were 84, 97 and 93 percent, respectively.

 "The consumers [in the BRICS] are very open and actually understand the importance of environmentally friendly products. Those markets are our highest growth markets," Tetra-Pak's vice-president Charles Brand told The Moscow Times. "The difficulty doesn't come from the consumers. It's more about how to get the recycling going in the best possible way."

 Andrei Ptichnikov, head of the Russian Forest Stewardship Council, or FSC, said one explanation for recycling being less developed in Russia than in other BRICS countries is that the country has a lower population density so there has always been lots of space to dispose of trash. Another key obstacle is that the Russian government does not have programs to promote the recycling industry.

 "There is no will and no desire to work in this sphere," Ptichnikov said in an interview. "The recycling companies that work with trash in Russia are enthusiasts. They only make a 3 to 4 percent profit at the most."

Ex.:1 Scan the text and answer the questions?

1.What problem does the article apply to?

Ex.2: Use a dictionary and translate the words and phrases:

consumer-

acquire-

sustain-

population density-

 trash-

profit-

Ex.3: 1.Find the paragraph where it is said about the situation with recycling in Russia.

         2. How did the head of the Russian Forest Stewardship Council explain the fact that recycling is less developed in Russia than in other BRICS countries?

 H.W. Translate the text. Learn the words.