Setting the Record Straight on Plastic Packaging
Sustainability
November 14, 2019Reading time: 4 minutes
The public has concerns and questions about plastic materials and products. Unfortunately, many of these concerns are a result of misconceptions. We’d like to set the record straight.
The public has concerns and questions about plastic materials and products. Unfortunately, many of these concerns are a result of misconceptions. We’d like to set the record straight.
“You can’t be distracted by the noise of misinformation.” – James Daly
As this quote implies, it’s easy to get distracted by misinformation, especially in this age of “information overload.” For instance, it seems as though new and conflicting advice on diets and health habits appears every week. It’s enough to leave even the most health-conscious consumer confused about what to eat!
The same is true when it comes to the subject of plastic products and recycling. Over recent years, there have been a growing number of questions and concerns regarding the health and sustainability of these materials. In response, a great deal of misinformation and “myths” have surfaced. As a leader in the plastic packaging industry, we’d like to debunk some of the most common myths.
Myth: Plastic packaging is bad for the environment.
Fact: Not only does plastic packaging protect the taste and quality of food, beverages, medications and more, it also plays an important role in the safe delivery of products to consumers. Because plastic packaging is incredibly lightweight, it’s more efficient to transport, saving fuel and greenhouse gases in the process. It’s also shatter-resistant and durable, which means less product loss in shipping and better safety for the end consumer. Plastics are also recyclable 3/4 the overall positive environmental impact of a plastic product doubles when it’s recycled into another product. (Learn more about Amcor’s efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, here.)
Myth: Glass, aluminum and Tetra boxes are “greener” than plastics.
Fact: It’s important to look at the entire lifecycle of these products, from manufacture, use and eventually their disposal when determining the environmental impact of different materials. Let’s look at each of these materials separately.
Glass:
• According to the EPA, the production of glass bottles generates 46% more greenhouse gases and uses 55% more energy than the production of PET bottles.
• Glass today often isn’t recycled because it’s too heavy to transport and costs too much to ship, or because it contaminates other recyclables when collected in single stream at the curb.
• Most glass 60% that goes into the single stream recycling bin never gets recycled. In comparison, 90% of the PET that goes in the bin is recycled.1
Aluminum Cans:
• Manufacturing aluminum cans generates 3X more greenhouse gas emissions than a PET bottle.2
• It takes double the amount of fossil fuels to produce aluminum cans than PET bottles.3
• In the U.S., the recycling rate of aluminum is only 49%.4
Tetra Aseptic Boxes/Cartons:
• While many people think these boxes are made of paper, they are actually composed of layers of paper, plastic and aluminum foil, which makes them difficult to recycle. In fact, the recycling rate for Tetra aseptic cartons in the U.S. is only 16%, which means most of this waste ends up in landfills or gets incinerated.5
• Manufacturing Tetra aseptic cartons creates 25% more greenhouse gas emissions than producing PET bottles.6
Although plastic packaging offers many benefits over other materials, we realize that more can be done to reduce plastic waste and greenhouse gas emissions. That’s why, for the past eight years, Amcor has conducted a sustainability report that provides data on energy use, waste generated, raw material consumption and more. It also highlights our accomplishments and dedication to the environment, including our commitment to use more recycled materials, and drive more recycling of packaging around the world.
Myth: PET isn’t healthy.
Fact: There are several misconceptions surrounding the health aspects of plastic bottles. The truth is, there are no health risks associated with drinking or eating from plastic containers. Specifically:
• PET does not contain BPA (Bis-Phenol A) and this chemical has zero presence in the manufacturing of PET.
• PET does not contain the type of phthalate that has been negatively linked to endocrine function. Terephthalate is used to produce PET bottles, which belongs to a different subset of phthalates and is not harmful.
• PET is an inert substance and is also resistant to degradation by micro-organisms, which means that PET containers pose no risk of leaching chemicals into the ground or contaminating ground water.
Myth: Only a few plastics can be recycled.
Fact: Technology exists to recycle most types of plastic, including lightweight bags and polystyrene foam. The challenge comes from getting the plastic from the user to the facility where it can be processed and making sure that the latest recycling technologies are available everywhere. Improving our waste management infrastructure to make sure all plastics can be collected and recycled properly is the answer to reducing waste and increasing the amount of recycled material. This is why Amcor partners with associations such as The Plastics Industry Association, NAPCOR and The Recycling Partnership to increase recycling rates and ensure that adequate infrastructure and technologies exist to effectively collect and manage waste.
In short, plastic has a good story to tell - it’s efficient, lightweight, and fully recyclable, which makes it a highly efficient and sustainable packaging material. While we can all agree that plastic waste doesn’t belong in nature and more can be done to ensure that every PET bottle gets recycled and turned into another PET bottle, it’s important to know the facts when having a conversation around plastics.
To learn more about closed loop recycling and how it can help reduce the use of raw materials while protecting the environment. Click Here
1NAPCOR Recycling Report, 2017
2Amcor Asset Lifecycle Analysis
3Flexible Packaging Association Report: A Holistic View of Flexible Packaging in a Sustainable World, 2018.
4http://resource-recycling.com/recycling/2019/09/17/aluminum-ca-recycling-rate-increase-after-down-year/
5”Breaking through Misconceptions,” Waste Advantage Magazine, May 31, 2019.
6http://cen.acs.org/materials/inorganic-chemistry/glass-recycling-US-broken/97/i6
Additional Sources:
“Reducing Greenhouse Gas Emissions through Recycling and Composting,” EPA, 2011. “Styrofoam vs. Paper Cups: Which is More Eco-Friendly?” https://recyclenation.com/2010/03/styrofoam-paper-cups ThisIsPlastics.com NAPCOR (National Association of PET Container Resources) – PET Safety FAQs PETRA (PET Resin Association) – FAQs. PET Basics (water).
