PET reaches life cycle equivalence with glass for drinks bottles

The association was reporting on work by the ifeu – Institute for Energy and Environmental Research – in Heidelberg. The life cycle analysis showed improvements for the 1·5 litre non-returnable PET bottle in almost all effect categories over scores achieved in
a similar analysis by the Association of German Wells in 2008. "In the most important category, climate change, and the other major categories – fossil resource consumption, summer smog, acidification, terrestrial eutrophication, and human toxicity/respirable
dust – improvements between 30 and 55 per cent were measured," said the IK.

Reasons for the improvements were found along the whole value chain. In particular the ifeu noted bottle weight reduction
(-14 per cent), increased use of recyclate (25 - 35 per cent), the decrease in distribution distances (-38 per cent), and reduced energy and process water consumption (-30 and -36 per cent).

In Germany the market share of disposable PET bottles for mineral waters in 2009 was 68·1 per cent, with a tendency to increase. Disposable PET bottles for mineral waters and refreshment drinks are being collected through a deposit system, and are recycled through a closed material loop. The current return rate for 1·5 litre single use PET bottles is 98·5 per cent.

IK Industrievereinigung Kunststoffverpackungen eV
Kaiser-Friedrich-Promenade 43
61348 Bad Homburg
Germany
Tel: 00-49 (0)6172 926679
Web: www.kunststoffverpackungen.de

Related internal links on www.PETrecycling.cz:

• 21.04.2010 PET bottles have less impact than glass or aluminium

• 11.02.2010 LCA comparing the environmental impacts of bottled water