You're in the middle of your weekly grocery run, pushing your trolley down the drinks aisle. As you reach out for your favourite, you pause, looking at three different versions of the same beverage sitting side by side - one in a glass bottle, another in a plastic bottle, and the last in an aluminium can. Which one do you pick?
You might assume you know which one is the 'greenest' choice. But what if the truth is not as straightforward as it seems? This article takes you on a journey beyond the supermarket aisle, delving into the hidden environmental footprints of these everyday items.
At first glance, glass - a product made from abundant natural resources like sand, soda ash, and limestone - seems to be an environmentally friendly choice. It is non-toxic, inert, and uniquely recyclable, retaining its purity and quality no matter how many times it's repurposed, a feature lacking in plastics. Consequently, the public perception leans towards viewing glass bottles as the most sustainable beverage container option.
Despite popular thought, studies show that the environmental impact of single-use glass bottles surpasses that of plastics and aluminium cans significantly. In fact, glass bottles contribute approximately 95% more towards global warming than aluminium cans. This adverse impact persists even with 100% recycled glass bottles, which still maintain a higher carbon footprint than plastic and aluminium.
The transformation of raw materials into glass is energy-intensive, requiring high temperatures that result in carbon dioxide emissions. To make matters worse, the substantial weight of glass, compared to plastic or aluminium, exacerbates its environmental impact by increasing energy consumption and emissions during transportation. For instance, a one-litre glass bottle can weigh up to 800g, whereas a similar-sized plastic bottle weighs a mere 40g.
Plastic bottles, derived from petroleum or natural gas, are often considered the least environmentally friendly option among the three materials. The degradation of plastic quality with each recycling cycle eventually leads most plastic to landfills or oceans, where it takes centuries to break down. Over time, plastics fragment into microplastics, tiny particles that permeate various ecosystems worldwide, disrupting food chains and potentially impacting human health.
Despite these issues, when comparing the life cycle environmental impacts, PET plastic bottles surprisingly cause less harm than glass. The lightweight nature of plastic significantly reduces the energy required for transportation, thereby lowering its overall impact on global warming.
Aluminium cans, contrary to popular perception, are better for the planet than both glass and plastic. Their production process is less energy intensive, they’re lightweight, they’re not made from fossil fuels, and they contribute less to environmental issues like acid rain and ocean oxygen depletion. Better still, aluminium can be recycled endlessly for very little energy - making a can from recycled materials uses only 5% of the energy required to make a new one.
However, few materials are without their downsides. Bauxite ore is critical in the production process of aluminium. Mining this ore often results in the release of hazardous heavy metals into rivers and sediment, posing a significant environmental concern.
Before you go out and buy a muti-pack of your favourite canned fizzy beverage, remember that aluminium is the least harmful option, but that doesn’t make it good. The reality is that we cannot consume our way out of the climate crisis, even if we're selecting the "least harmful" options.
True sustainability goes beyond merely making better consumer choices—it requires a fundamental shift in our consumption patterns. Our focus needs to pivot towards drastically reducing our reliance on single-use products, regardless of their material. It's only through this holistic and rigorous approach—prioritising reduction and reuse—that we can hope to make substantial progress in our collective fight against environmental degradation.
