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Using 100% recyclable glass bottles is making global warming worse, study says
Think twice before picking your favorite orange juice in a glass bottle, because they aren’t as sustainable as most think.
There is a widespread misconception about packed foods, even what we feed babies, such as their ingredients, misleading claims about nutrition, and the material used in the packaging. A recent study found plastic containers are better than 100% recyclable glass bottles.
Recyclable bottles aren’t eco-friendly
It’s an instinct in most of us to reach for beverages packed in glass bottles while shopping. We are taught that “plastic is bad.” But that’s not always true.
Even though plastic is harmful to the environment, the process involved in its recycling is safer for the environment than a bottle made of glass.
The findings of the study published in the Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute in July, 2024, show consumers’ preference for glass packaging at the lowest possible price. However, they do not consider the sustainability of the material.
“Despite glass being idealized as being the most sustainable, other packaging types may be more sustainable,” the study states. Why, you ask? The whole packaging cycle for glass significantly contributes to global warming.
Talking about the glass-making and recycling process which isn’t eco-friendly, the lead author of the paper, Nomzamo Dlamini, told ScienceDaily: “I was shocked to read the lifecycle assessment from the experts that it takes so much energy to produce glass and recycle it — much more than what it takes to make or recycle plastic.”
Plastic is better, carton is best
Recycled glass has more carbon footprint than plastic – the total amount of greenhouse gas generated in the process.
The study explains: “The production and end-of-life impacts of plastic are less than that of glass, plastic is lighter and thus requires less energy to transport, furthermore, the aseptic sealing process of plastic containers using steam is less energy demanding than the retort system used for glass.”
Consumers’ preferred package depends on several other factors including cost-effectiveness; their ability to keep the food from spoiling majorly influences their choice.
The team found that there are better packaging options when considering sustainability. For a single-serve orange juice, which was the premise of the study, a carton would be most sustainable, followed by plastic, then canned, and at last, glass.
