New Delhi, Nov 6 : Amid rising environmental awareness, consumers in the Asia-Pacific (APAC) are increasingly preferring eco-friendly laundry detergents with sustainable packaging and chemical-free, biodegradable formulations, according to a report on Wednesday. The report by GlobalData, a data and analytics company, showed that the shift is accelerated by a growing aversion to traditional chemical-based detergents, which can have adverse effects on ecosystems and marine life.'Eco-friendly detergent formulations with ingredients such as plant extracts, essential oils, enzymes, and natural preservatives are becoming increasingly popular. These ingredients are perceived by consumers to have low to no environmental impact, throughout the product life cycle from production till disposal,' said Naveed Khan, Consumer Analyst at GlobalData.As per the recent GlobalData 2024 Q3 Consumer Survey, which included 6,131 respondents, 80 per cent of the consumers in Asia and Australasia regard 'sustainable/environmentally friendly' attributes in product purchases as either essential or nice to have.About 79 per cent also consider the same for 'recyclable packaging' tags.As a result, detergent manufacturers are making their production process sustainable and ecologically friendly to attract consumers.Deepak Nautiyal, Consumer and Retail Commercial Director, APAC and ME at GlobalData, said that with mounting packaging wastes, which end up in landfills and oceans, polluting the region's land, and water, consumers are seeking products with environment-friendly packaging.'Packaging features such as zero plastic packaging, 100 per cent recyclable packaging, and biodegradable packaging are increasingly offered by manufacturers to capitalise on the growing consumer concerns,' Nautiyal said.While these sustainable and ecologically safe options will create new growth opportunities for manufacturers, incorporating these in the production process 'will require more investments'.Nautiyal stressed the need for 'striking the right balance between increasing production costs and keeping prices competitive while compromising on margins will be challenging for manufacturers.' /IANS