Capacidad de Manejo

In order to analyse each one of the questionnaires, the significance of the questions included and to simplify the research process, the sectors were coded as presented in Table 5.1a. Thus for example, when referring to question C4, this is the 4th question of the questionnaire designed to be answered by the final consumers. The questionnaires are presented in Appendix 1.

Table 5.1a. - Coding the questions

Sector Code Number of Questions

149 Packaging Manufacturers PM 12 Industrial Customers IC 14 Wholesalers W R 14 Retailers Consumers C 14

Structure of the analysis

The structure of the analysis will follow the structure of the supply chain. For example starting with Suppliers followed by Packaging Manufacturers, Industrial Customers, Wholesalers and Retailers and finally the Consumers.

5.2.2. Sample Size and Response Rate

Overall, 411 questionnaires were sent out and 368 were finally received, representing an 89,54% response rate (see Table 5.1b). For what is relevant to Final Consumers (FC) although (as shown above) it has been estimated that the sample size (N) should be 256, finally, 290 questionnaires were sent. The reason for this was the view that if more than the needed questionnaires were sent and collected then more accurate data could may be provided for analysis to the research. In addition, in an effort to triangulate evidence from multiple sources, data collection included the comparison and combination of various sources such as, questionnaires and documentation.

Table 5.1b. - Response Rate

Sector Questionnaires

Distributed

Questionnaires

Returned Response Rate

Suppliers (S) 4 2 50% Packaging Manufacturers (PM) 8 4 50% Industrial Customers (IC) 104 89 85,58%

Chapter 5 -Analysis and discussion 150 Wholesalers- Retailers (WR) 5 2 40% Consumers (C) 290 271 93,45% Total 411 368 89,54% 5.3. Suppliers (S) 5.3.1. Questionnaires: Suppliers (S)

This sector represents the initial stage (source) of our supply chain. A categorisation of the participants of the specific sector (S1)22 is crucial, since if combined with questions: S2, S3, S4 and S5, it can help us to make some further conclusions, concerning the volume of waste per material during the manufacturing process or the proportion of recycling or disposing of these materials per sector. In addition, crucial comparisons can be made, based on the environmental friendliness of each one of these materials, destined for the packaging sector.

Question S2, refers to the amount of raw materials produced by each of the participants. It is very important to understand the volume of materials in circulation in the market. This question, along with relevant literature, can guide us to make comparisons between materials that are easier to recycle and check the environmental friendliness of each one of them.

Question S3, concerning the amount of waste produced during the manufacturing process, includes very sensitive data, since it can be used to compare which manufacturing process (S1), is the most environmental friendly (in terms of waste per volume). The outcome could be very surprising and it should set one thinking, how to face the problem of pollution. Since the manufacturing process of each one of these materials is expected to pollute the environment in a different way, it is maybe unfair to confront all of the materials used in the packaging sector in the same way.

The purpose of Question S4, isto collect the data concerning the amount of waste received from the supply chain by the recycling centres. The outcomes, further combined with the outcomes of Question S1, could be used to indicate the level of recycling for each specific material. This Question along with S2, shows us

22

As shown above the first letter “S” indicates the sector e.g. S=Suppliers while the number indicates the specific question e.g. 1st Question.

151 the proportions of raw materials produced in conjunction with the materials recycled. These proportions along with S5 and S9, have the potential to indicate the environmental friendliness of each one of the packaging materials, in terms of:

• Environmental pollution (disposing or recycling),

• Energy (for some of the materials, the recycling process consumes less energy than the production of new materials),

• A combination of the above two elements, since the question to answer is: Should we choose:

a) to recycle materials based on a manufacturing process that aggravates the environment in terms of pollution and energy consumption (given that the manufacturing process is steady and can’t easily change),

b) not to recycle them but instead to dispose of them and aggravate the environment in a different way, or

c) to substitute these materials with other, more environmental friendly materials?

Questions S6, S7 and S8 intend to show the way that the take-back programmes are currently designed. The market always finds ways to operate in an effective way in the name of profit. For this reason, where needed, it has already set up take - back programmes, collecting the waste from the supply chain (the packaging manufacturers, the retailers and wholesalers), recycling this waste and reselling it again. Thus, these questions underline a serious matter: “Why don’t we stimulate the market to use those packaging materials that would be advantageous to collect, recycle and reuse, solving in the same way the problem of disposing and pollution?”

Questions S10, S12 and S13 are just informative, in order to understand if the companies know about the Directive and if they have considered the way that this Directive might affect their business.

The specific purpose of Question S13 is to investigate the public opinion concerning the specific Directive and the level that people think that is going to contribute in a better environmental performance. The same question (modified after the pilot), is included in all the questionnaires destined for the different sectors (S13, PM11, IC10, WR11 and C11), in order to evaluate if there are different perspectives concerning the Directive, depending on the point of view of each one of the links of

Chapter 5 -Analysis and discussion

152 the supply chain (e.g. Do Packaging Manufacturers have the same perspective with the Retailers or the Final Consumers?).

Question S11, is intended to present the level of acceptance of the Directive by the individual companies producing packaging materials. It is an open question, expected to reveal an opposition to the specific directive, especially if the companies have already set up take – back programmes to assist their operations. This question is included in all the questionnaires destined for the different sectors (S11, PM8, IC9, WR9 and FC10) and intends to show if there are significant changes between the perspectives of the participants in the supply chain. Cost is a very sensitive issue for the industry and the purpose of the question was not to specifically identify this cost, but instead and along with Question S14, to understand how the companies confront such an issue.

Question S14 is one of the most important questions, since its purpose was to show if the industry intends to push that cost down to the final consumer. S14 along with PM12, IC13 and WR13, asks the same questions to all of the participants of the Packaging Supply Chain except from the final consumer. They were expected to prove that the cost is always being pushed down to the final consumer through the prices of the products.