As sustainable living becomes more important and influences consumption trends, we are seeing a new preference for beverage consumption – specifically a drive back to using glass bottles. From an environmental perspective, glass has several advantages over plastic – which is driving the growing popularity of glass bottles throughout the beverage industry.
As beverage bottlers and manufacturers, this is a key question for new beverage products being developed and for products that have been bottled in plastic for years: which beverage product is best – plastic or glass?
Plastic has a number of significant advantages over glass:
It is lightweight, so it is less expensive to produce and less expensive to ship – less additional packaging is needed for shipping.
In addition, it’s safe – it’s durable and impact resistant, and because it’s not fragile, it’s less dangerous than glass. This brings added convenience not only to bottlers and manufacturers, but also to busy consumers.
It is worth noting that all PET plastic bottles can be recycled and that much of the plastic currently used for beverage bottling is made from recycled materials. In fact, according to the British Plastics Federation (BPF), of the 70 percent of soft drinks bottle packaged in PET plastic bottles, a full 60 percent of used bottles that end up in household trash are collected for recycling-representing a significant increase in the percentage of recycled bottles over the past few decades.
Perhaps one of the greatest advantages of plastic is that it is so versatile. It can be easily molded into different shapes, allowing brands to establish a unique identity and allowing manufacturers to change the shape and size of their bottles.
However, glass remains preferable in several important ways
From an environmental standpoint, glass has several advantages over plastic soda bottles. For example, while plastic can only be recycled a specific number of times, glass (and metal) has the ability to be recycled an endless number of times. This is because if recycled too many times, plastic will eventually lose its mass, while glass does not.
The first observation of plastic waste in the ocean in the 1960s was the beginning of the recognition that plastic materials had an impact on the environment. Glass bottles do not cause this problem. The craft beverage market – selling beverages packaged in glass bottles, etc. – is a fast-growing trend. At RC Cola International, we’ve seen this firsthand as our craft soda, Royal Crown, has grown in popularity. Drinks bottle packaged in glass are more aesthetically pleasing.
Which is best?
As a beverage bottler or manufacturer, keeping up with beverage trends and staying innovative is key. Whether you choose to use plastic or glass, Valiant can help you evaluate the pros and cons of plastic and glass in depth and help you figure out what’s right for your company. We work with each partner to provide information about the market and share our perspective on growing trends and beverage innovations. We look forward to working with you – so join our family of partners today!
