Study explores environmental cost and perceptions of influencer PR gifts

As part of their marketing strategy, many companies send public relations packages full of curated products to social media influencers, who film themselves opening the gifts on platforms like Instagram and TikTok. 

While such ‘PR unboxings’ promote the brand, they also produce a lot of waste – which goes virtually unmentioned by those posting comments on the videos, according to new research from Washington State University in the US. 

The findings, published in the Family and Consumer Sciences Research Journal, suggest influencers have an opportunity to educate consumers about excessive packaging and hold companies accountable when their packaging practices don’t match their ‘green’ rhetoric. 

“Sustainability values in influencer marketing are often communicated silently through a company’s packaging practices,” says Ting Chi, the study’s corresponding author and chair of WSU’s Department of Apparel, Merchandising, Design and Textiles.  

“Influencers are receiving an increased amount of PR gifts with excessive packaging, but there seems to be minimal consumer awareness of how much waste is being generated. We hope this study will help educate consumers, influencers, and brands about environmental impact.” 

A relatively new phenomenon, PR gifting is driven mainly by younger generations, who prefer to learn about products through social media influencers. 

“Influencers can impact their followers by promoting certain behaviours,” notes Chi, who co-authored the study with graduate students McKenzie Duqaine, Joshua Mollel and Juan Doria.  

“If influencers neglect environmental sustainability considerations in their unboxing videos, consumers won’t see it as a priority. Likewise, if they discuss how they’ll redistribute those gifts or describe the amount of packaging as unnecessary, that could have a very positive influence on their followers in relation to sustainability.” 

Focus on fashion and beauty brands 

The study focused solely on fashion and beauty brands, which rely heavily on influencers to effectively market their products. After analysing more than 34,000 user comments, they discovered that less than 1% mentioned packaging sustainability. 

“We were surprised that such a small percentage of videos and consumer comments included sustainability considerations,” Chi states.  

“Many brands use influencer marketing while claiming to be sustainable, but their behaviour suggests the opposite. These findings indicate that excessive packaging has been normalised and that environmental impact is not a consideration for many brands and consumers.” 

He adds that the research could help increase consumer awareness, hold brands accountable, and support the development of policies that restrict excessive packaging and encourage the use of recyclable, biodegradable, or plastic-free materials. 

You can find out more about the study here.