Plastics compared to other raw materials

"Glass is eco, plastic is passe" - such thinking is almost a standard. However, when it comes to responsibly sorted and recycled plastic, are you sure that it poses a greater threat to nature than glass waste? Let's look at it more objectively and technologically. In our article, we will compare the issues of both materials and their "usefulness" from an ecological point of view.

Research by the American Plastic Industry Association (PLASTICS) has clearly demonstrated the impact of plastics on the ecosystem. The main topic of the analyzes was the life cycle of plastic from the moment of production, through molding, logistics, usage and disposal. Compared to other materials such as glass, steel and aluminum, plastics came out surprisingly positively. Starting from the amount of utilities necessary for their production (energy, water), through the release of carbon dioxide in transport, service life and finally, its removal from circulation - all these parameters put plastic in a much more favorable position than other compared raw materials.

We debunk the myths

Standard thinking has become common in today's world as a comfortable and, contrary to appearances, problem-free path. Changes require work, time and, above all, confrontation and verification of our views, which we most often avoid. The trodden paths are not demanding, which is why we are so eager to follow them, regardless of the plane of life they concern.

One such belief is the idea that glass can be an excellent replacement for plastic packaging. Glass, however, must meet a multitude of standards to be a worthy substitute for plastics. First of all, the problem is the mass of glass, the reduction of which by at least 60% would increase the sensitivity of the raw material - thin walls of the package would be less resistant to breaking, scratching or other damage. Therefore, for better efficiency and durability of the raw material, it would be necessary to move cosmetic production plants close to glassworks, and to distribute them in a limited location, to avoid large-scale transport. As a result, yes, it would significantly reduce carbon dioxide emissions, which in the case of glass transport is the highest parameter, but wouldn't the cosmetics market suffer from such a solution? The requirements regarding the weight of the goods transported clearly place plastics over glass, because the permitted tonnage will fit a much larger number of plastic packages than identical packages made of glass. The same number of plastic bottles can be transported in one transport, while the same batch of glass bottles must be divided into several turns not exceeding the weight standards for the transporting car.

We are also convinced that glass will be processed in the recycling process much more likely than plastic, while according to research conducted by FEVE in Poland, only 67% of glass is recycled. And even of this amount, only a part of it is returned to the market as new packaging.

The issue of glass raw material recovery

Glass packaging, in order to be properly processed, should be subject to restrictive segregation in terms of colors. However, Polish households do not pay attention to it, and most of the containers intended for glass include this raw material as a whole. In Poland, we will not find separate containers for glass waste in different colors, such as in Germany, while color segregation would avoid disqualifying the material from further processing in the event of breakage and the resulting contamination. Moreover, very few of us focus on separating the lids, labels, decorations or other additives that prevent the glass from being recycled from the glass jar.

As mentioned above, of the 67% of all glass that is recycled, only about 2/3 is actually used in the production of new packaging. The rest is used, for example, in the construction industry, thus ending its circulation as a raw material for recycling.

At special cullet treatment points and glass recycling plants, the collected waste is carefully selected. It is very difficult to recover a clean product from contaminated materials, also because as a result of our ignorance, additional products such as caps, labels, decorations and other waste that may have ended up there by a mistake. The use of new, full-value glass for production is a much less problematic solution than the recovery of cullet without confirmed quality.