PET environmental effect

What is PET, and why is it significant?

Seventy percent of all carbonated soft beverages, fruit juices, dilutable drinks, and bottled water are packaged in PET, or PolyEthylene Terephthalate. The most recyclable plastic in the world, PET is also lightweight, non-toxic, and environmentally friendly.

What we package our things in has major implications for the health of our ecosystem and the longevity of our economy, making this novel material very important.

The meaning of environmentally friendly packaging

Taking care of the planet requires a strategic, long-term perspective. The ability to take our favorite products with us everywhere we go is made possible by the packaging they come in. Having this option, however, requires us to think about the materials used in our packaging. The efficiency of that packing is something we must consider. And most significantly, we must worry about its fate once we’ve abandoned it. This may seem like a lot to think about, but rest assured, the solution is simple: PET is the best option for sustainable packaging.

There are many benefits to using PET. Producing this product uses less energy than competing options. Because of its low density, high strength, and long lifespan, we can use less packaging to keep our goods safe. Reduced carbon emissions result from the reduced gasoline consumption made possible by the lighter packaging. There has been a steady decrease in the weight of PET bottles; compared to those made in the year 2000, today’s are 40% lighter.

 Because it can be repurposed into other items, recycling PET greatly reduces the demand for new PET production, which in turn helps cut down on pollution. In fact, when comparing recycled PET products to those made from virgin PET, CO2 emissions are reduced by as much as 90%. It is highly recyclable, so it is less likely to wind up in a landfill; currently, over 58% of PET bottles in Europe are recycled. This makes it the most commonly recycled plastic used for packaging.

But how can I know which plastic to pick?

You’ve probably been making the proper choice all along if you’ve ever consumed a carbonated soft drink or bottled water. PET is one of the most environmentally friendly packaging options due to its high performance and ease of recycling. But how can you tell if an item actually contains PET? It’s easy; just look for the number 1.

Most plastic containers include a number inside the recycling symbol (three arrows) at the bottom. You can easily discover how recyclable your packaging is and what kind of plastic it is manufactured from thanks to this number.

Can we trust PET not to harm us?

The European Union, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) of the United States, and other international health organizations have all deemed PET safe for use in direct food contact. Because of its safety and adaptability, PET is still widely used in the food, beverage, pharmaceutical, and medical industries. PET has been shown to be safe by several studies, governmental approvals, and tests.

In addition to being easily recyclable, PET is inert and does not release any toxins into the environment, so it has essentially zero direct impact on the earth. PET is safe to use in food packaging, medical devices that go inside the body, and personal protective equipment (PPE) worn by medical professionals and first responders due to its durability, shatterproofness, and light weight.

How about some other options for product packaging?

Although polyethylene terephthalate (PET) clearly surpasses conventional plastic packaging, it is not your only option. What about other materials like glass, paper, and aluminum? Let’s adopt the entire life method, assuming that all of these materials are being recycled.

Aluminum may be recycled and used again in the packaging industry. Aluminum production and recycling require significant amounts of energy and other materials. Aluminum requires temperatures of over 1000°C to be melted into cans, but PET just needs to be heated to roughly 260°C to be molded into bottles. Emissions increase with temperature, and even recycled aluminum cans release more CO2 per ton than PET bottles.

While unprocessed paper and cardboard are more biodegradable than PET, they are typically coated with plastic or aluminum and so cannot be recycled. When thrown away, this packaging takes up more room than the equivalent weight in plastic and degrades slowly. In addition to being more expensive to make than plastic, cardboard also generates more waste and necessitates the felling of trees in its manufacture. Shipping cardboard also results in more pollution than shipping plastic.

Non-plastic packaging is also frequently thrown away rather than recycled, despite the dangers posed by broken glass and the ingestion of aluminum can ring pulls by wildlife. When compared to other packaging materials like glass and aluminum, PET packaging, especially when recycled, produces lower greenhouse gas emissions during its entire life cycle.

The process of PET recycling

The Recycle Now! part of our site has comprehensive information about PET recycling. PET recycling, to put it simply, starts with you. To facilitate collection, please sort your recyclables. Deposits are repaid in some countries when used bottles are brought back to shops or recycling centers. The collection rates for these schemes are often much higher and have proven to be very successful.

After being gathered, bottles are crushed to reduce their size for transport and sale to collectors. The next step is to process the bottles. Melt reprocessing, molecular breakdown, and other methods exist for recycling PET.

What, therefore, does PET recycling result in? Multiple things. A more sustainable future can be achieved if PET packaging is recycled back into PET packaging. The material can be processed into fiber and then into clothing unless such recycling is prohibited by law or the quality of the recycled material is insufficient. Since some fabrics might consist entirely of recycled materials, it is possible that you are currently donning a recycled plastic bottle.

In the motor industry, PET may be recycled into things like upholstery and safety harnesses. Importantly, PET containers may be recycled back into PET containers. Creating a self-sustaining, closed-loop PET manufacturing system supported by high collection rates to manufacture rPET is essential for a more environmentally friendly packaging future.

Video 01: Lowering the Environmental Impact of PET Plastics