The Carbon Impact of Wine Packaged in PET and Glass

results of the first UK study into the carbon impact of bottling wine in the UK in glass and PET (polyethylene terephthalate) bottles.

The study compared the carbon impact of 75cl glass and PET wine bottles:

PET bottle of 45g with 0% recycled content
Typical glass bottle of 496g with 81% recycled content
A lightweighted glass bottle of 365g with 81% recycled content

The study of the manufacturing and transportation ‘life’ of the two types of bottles shows that lightweighted glass bottles with a high recycled content produces broadly the same amount of greenhouse gas as the much lighter PET bottle. This is because the higher CO2 emissions arising from the manufacture of PET bottles offsets much of the savings obtained from its lower weight. For both glass and PET bottles it also showed that incorporating recycled content also decreases greenhouse gas emissions.

Two other scenario comparisons are also made in the full report: that of a 365g glass bottle with 92% recycled content and PET bottles with 50% and 100% recycled content. In both these scenarios, excluding or including end-of-life, the emissions attributed to the 54g PET bottle lie within the range of emissions attributable to the 365g glass bottle.

Rebecca Cocking, Recycling Manager of British Glass, said in response to the report: “We are very encouraged by the findings of this independent report which may help dispel some of the unfavourable criticism that glass packaging is receiving currently with regard to its weight. We are pleased to know that all the efforts the glass industry has made to reduce its carbon footprint are being successful in terms of both recycling and lightweighting.

“All glass bottles have a significant amount of recycled content, on average over 60% in glass packaging sold in the UK, and therefore could easily meet the levels suggested in the study so long as good quality cullet is obtained from the consumer waste stream.”

“And of course, glass is the consumers’ choice for quality; they like its visual appeal and its feel. Glass is pure, inert, protects its contents so well it allows a long shelf life while keeping its products fresh and does not feature in the debate over ‘excess packaging’.”

The full report is available on the WRAP website: www.wrap.org.uk/retail