BAD-MOUTHING PLASTIC DOESN'T SOLVE ANY PROBLEMS. BUT MAKING PLASTIC BETTER DOES. THIS IS OUR MISSION. AND IT HAS BEEN SO FOR MORE THAN 70 YEARS.
The Myth of the evil PET Bottle
Plastics don’t have it easy – they come under fire from all sides. And yet a lot of the claims made about the harm to the environment caused by plastic packaging are negative preconceptions or only half-truths.
It is an indisputable fact that the majority of the products we need in our daily lives are dependent on functional packaging. There are stringent requirements to be met regarding hygiene, durability and consumer safety – and it is the positive properties of plastic packaging in particular that contribute significantly to these requirements being met.
ALPLA is a pioneer in the development and production of sustainable packaging solutions using plastic and leads by example to this day. We operate our own recycling plants around the world. We also engage in partnerships that seek to optimise the use of resources, further advance the production of high-quality recyclates and develop reuse solutions.
Those who demonise plastics do them an injustice. We are therefore combating the ‘myth of the evil PET bottle’ with robust facts. Prepare to be surprised! Some of the facts will prompt you to revise your opinion and perhaps even rethink your own actions.
MYTH 01: ENVIRONMENTAL FOOTPRINT
Glass, paper and metal are more sustainable than plastic.
In fact:
Pet is a sustainable packaging material.
- In a comparison of the environmental footprints of various packaging materials, plastic usually performs better than glass or metal.
- Glass has a melting point of 1,600°C, whereas for PET it is just 260°C. Less energy is therefore used and less carbon is emitted during the production of PET beverage bottles than when glass bottles are produced.
- Plastic is very light and therefore causes fewer carbon emissions than other packaging materials when being transported.
- A major advantage of PET is its resource-conserving recyclability. Bottles with a high proportion of recyclates therefore have a clear edge in terms of their environmental footprint.
Glass bottle: Standard market recycling share of 43%
MYTH 02: PLASTIC WASTE
The majority of packaging waste is plastic.
In fact:
Plastic packaging accounts for just a fifth of all packaging waste.
- Plastic packaging accounts for just 19 % of all packaging waste in the EU, closely followed by glass at 18.5 % and wood at 17.1 %.
- Significantly larger proportions of total packaging waste are attributable to paper and cardboard.
MYTH 03: CLIMATE CHANGE
Plastic packaging is preventing us from achieving carbon targets.
In fact:
Plastic packaging accounts for only a very small proportion of a person's carbon footprint.
- Every person in the EU causes approximately 7.4 tonnes of carbon emissions a year. Plastic packaging causes only a fraction of these in comparison to transport, energy and food – just 0.5 %!
- Just one return flight from Vienna to Majorca and back causes as much carbon to be emitted as using plastic packaging for approximately eleven years!
MYTH 04: FOSSIL RESOURCES
Plastic packaging causes extremely high crude oil consumption.
In fact:
Just 2.2% of crude oil produced globally is used for the production of plastic packaging.
- It takes far fewer fossil resources to produce plastics than people think.
- What’s more, unlike ‘burnt’ fuel, used plastics can be recycled multiple times, thus conserving resources.
- There are also sustainable alternatives in the form of bio-based plastics which are made of renewable resources.
MYTH 05: ENVIRONMENTAL POLLUTION
It would be better for the environment to replace plastic.
In fact:
It's not the material that's the problem, but how it is handled.
- Plastic is a valuable material which guarantees safe, affordable and sustainable supplies for the global population. It is crucial that the material be given a value and be recycled.
MYTH 06: CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Plastic packaging always ultimately ends up as landfill.
In fact:
More and more plastic is being recycled.
- Used plastic packaging is increasingly being collected throughout Europe.
- Only a small proportion of this is then used as landfill – and this is diminishing all the time. Accordingly, the proportions of recycled and incinerated plastic waste are increasing.
- When plastics are incinerated, the energy they contain is exploited. In the case of plastics which can no longer be recycled, incineration is preferable over landfilling.
MYTH 07: MICROPLASTICS
Plastic Packaging results in a lot of microplastics.
In fact:
The primary sources of the unintended release of microplastics are paints and tyre wear.
- The biggest source in the area of paints is the shipping industry at 210,000 tonnes per annum.
- In the area of tyres, cars are comfortably in the lead.
- The proportion of secondary microplastics (e.g. due to the breakdown of plastic packaging in the environment) can be significantly reduced with collection and recycling. Plastics which are recycled don’t end up in the environment and don’t result in microplastics.
MYTH 08: HEALTH
PET bottles release hazardous chemicals.
In fact:
No harmful substances are used in the production of PET bottles.
- Neither plasticisers nor bisphenol A are used in the production of PET bottles.
- Very small amounts of acetaldehyde are present in PET bottles. This can give drinks a sweet taste if exposed to sunlight for a long time. A larger quantity of this natural substance can also be found in foods and occurs as an intermediate in human metabolism.
- Plastic can actually be beneficial to people’s health: contaminated water can be purified in transparent PET bottles with the help of UV rays. This simple solution can help people living in regions where there is no access to clean drinking water.
Assuming responsibility: Everything at ALPLA revolves around this.
- We design our packaging solutions to be 100 % recyclable.
- The share of PCR in ALPLA’s total use of materials has already reached 20 % by 2023.
- Around 50 million euros per annum have been earmarked for the expansion of recycling activities.