On June 22, 2023, eunomia and Zero Waste Europe published a report examining the Net Zero pathways of aluminum, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and glass used for beverage packaging in the EU. The authors focus on whether the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions from these food contact materials (FCMs) align with the goal of limiting global warming to 1.5 °C. According to the report, all three FCMs pose a risk to climate change and net zero targets
Key challenges identified by the authors include transitioning smelting processes to run on green energy for aluminum, shifting to bio-based feedstock for PET, and electrifying gas furnaces for glass.
The allocated carbon budget for each material is set to be surpassed by 2050 according to the report. This is the case even when considering that beverage container use might not increase by 2050 (especially with the EU population expected to shrink). The material consumption that will be needed for beverages and their packaging will still not be compatible with achieving the maximum 1.5 °C warming target.
In conclusion, the authors emphasize that while technological investment will be needed to overcome significant challenges, the top priority should be reducing demand. The authors explain that “developing reuse systems for beverage containers appears to be the most promising approach to achieve this goal,” and comparative studies are needed to get a more holistic understanding of decarbonization pathways and how they can be optimized.
In a second report published on June 26, 2023, by Zero Waste Europe in collaboration with reloop, the impacts and challenges of single-use glass are investigated more closely. The report states that while single-use glass has the highest overall environmental footprint compared to all other single-use materials, glass presents the greatest potential to reduce environmental impact through reuse systems. Based on this, the authors urge that the upcoming Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR) must set guidelines for shifting away from single-use glass to reusable glass packaging (FPF reported, here, and here). The document reports that with the current version of the PPWR proposal (FPF reported), the usage of single-use glass is projected to increase as glass is exempted from the circular requirements that apply to metal and plastic beverage packaging.
A third report focused on the economic feasibility of reuse was co-authored by ZWE together with Searious Business, #GetBack, and RSVP. The authors argue that reusable packaging presents a great opportunity to combat plastic pollution, and while the popularity of reuse systems has grown within certain businesses, many brands and industry associations still hold doubts about their effectiveness and economic feasibility.
The report presents three parameters according to which the performance of a “financially healthy” reuse system can be assessed: rotation cycles before the end of life, return rate, and retention time. Together, these can determine the total actual cycles per packaging per year (FPF reported). Based on these parameters, three packaging categories (takeaway packaging, transport packaging (i.e., plastic bags), and beverage packaging) were analyzed within the scope of the study. The report presents the following conclusions on the economic breakeven points for each category: (i) A return of investment for takeaway food packaging can be reached by system providers within three to four years, (ii) using reusable instead of single-use plastic bags for transport packaging is economically viable after two to three years according to the model applied, and (iii) reusable beverage containers will reach a return on investment after five to six years.
The authors project that with time and based on regulatory developments in the EU, “reusable packaging will likely become even more economically viable, with faster return on investments, as single-use packaging will go up in price” (FPF reported).
References
Zero Waste Europe (June 22, 2023) “Decarbonisation of single-use beverage packaging.”
Zero Waste Europe (June 26, 2023) “Reinventing glass.” (pdf).
Zero Waste Europe (June 29, 2023) “The economics of reuse systems.” (pdf).
Read more
Circular (June 23, 2023) “Glass ‘unsuitable’ for single-use, Zero Waste Europe says.”
Packaging Insights (June 26, 2023) “Zero Waste Europe calls for glass ‘reinvention’ for reuse economy.”
MRW (June 30, 2023) “Euro study finds reusable packaging financially viable.”
