Why is glass not eco-friendly?

Glass packaging is becoming more and more popular. According to data from the 2020 European Consumer Survey, the majority of EU residents believe that glass is the most environmentally friendly and are giving up plastic in favor of it. 58% of Poles choose glass packaging more often than in the past. This is the third result in Europe after Austria and Turkey ¹ .

We favor glass because it does not interact with the contents (food, drinks, cosmetics, supplements). Packaging producers even claim that glass packaging contributes to environmental protection because it can be recycled infinitely. So much theory. In practice? It's not that different. Glass is very energy-intensive in production and transport, and its reuse is not easy at all. But everything in order.

1. Glass production.

To produce new glass, first of all, you need sand . Crushed recycled glass is added to it in varying proportions depending on the country, manufacturer and type of product. These raw materials are mixed together, loaded into a furnace and melted at a temperature of about 1500°C . The molten glass is taken out of the furnace and given an appropriate shape, e.g. a jar ² .

At first glance, everything is fine - sand is a natural and renewable raw material, we have plenty of it, entire deserts. Yet recently we have been using more of this sand than the planet can replenish . Even more than oil. Every year, over 50 billion tons of sand are extracted in the world, mainly for the production of glass and concrete. This is twice as much as all the rivers on Earth can produce in a year ³ .

The sand from which glass is made usually comes from the bottom of rivers and seas (the sand from the desert is not suitable). By taking it from there, we disturb the ecosystem - we kill the microorganisms living in it, which are the beginning of the food chain. As a result of mass sand extraction, fish, turtles and other valuable species as well as coral reefs are dying around the world ⁴ . We also contribute to land erosion, floods and landslides ⁵ .

There are entire mafias that illegally extract sand worth up to $350 billion a year. ⁶ . They operate primarily (but not exclusively) in India, Cambodia, Vietnam, Kenya and Sierra Leone. Illegal sand mining in India alone kills several hundred people every year ⁷ . Activists and journalists who try to attract public attention to this problem risk their lives and health in these countries.

Both sand mining and sand melting are destroying the planet . The furnaces used for this purpose mostly use fossil fuels (e.g. gas or oil ). ⁸ . To obtain a sufficiently high temperature in the furnace, large amounts of these raw materials are necessary. As a result of their combustion , huge amounts of CO2 are released . Producing 1 glass bottle takes as much energy as 17 plastic bottles ⁹ .

2. Glass transport.

Once the glass packaging is formed and cooled, it begins its journey to the production plant or store. Glass is fragile, so it needs more protection (paper or foil). It also takes up more space during transport and is heavier. Transporting it from one place to another requires more fuel and generates large amounts of carbon dioxide, which pollutes the environment and contributes to global warming ¹⁰ .

3. Glass recycling.

Manufacturers say glass is a smart choice for the environment because it can be recycled indefinitely . In reality, however, the matter is complicated. In most European countries, glass is sorted more often than other materials. 88% of Polish women and men declare that they separate glass. However, the absolute majority of them say that they do not know exactly how to do it correctly ¹¹ .

Not every glass item is recyclable. Packaging for medicines and solvents, crystal glass, heat-resistant glass, glasses, ceramics and porcelain, light bulbs, window panes should not be thrown into segregation containers. ¹² . In some countries (e.g. Sweden), colored glass is segregated separately from transparent glass, which increases the chances of its reuse during production. Green and brown glass should not be melted together with colorless glass , because it affects the color of the finished product.

However, let's assume that we put the right glass jar into the right container. This still does not guarantee that it will be recycled. According to data from the European Federation of Glass Packaging (FEVE), 63% of glass is processed in Poland (in the EU this indicator is 76%), but in the USA, for example, it is about 30%. Globally, this rate is only 21% ^{13, 14, 15} .

Why is glass processing problematic?

One of the reasons is the high cost of glass recycling . Its transport from the waste sorting plant to the recycling site and then to the packaging production site requires means of transport and fuel, which again leads to the release of large amounts of CO2. And then the very energy-intensive glass production process in furnaces heated to 1,500 ° C starts all over again, the circle closes, leaving a huge carbon footprint. If all glass packaging (and not every 5th glass packaging on average) were recycled, this process would consume even more energy and money.

What happens to glass that is not recycled? It lies in a landfill for up to 1 million years , because that's how long it takes for it to decompose ¹⁶ . There is another option, equally terrifying. The glass is crushed and used as a landfill cover layer . It is cheaper than recycling and helps reduce unpleasant odors released from other decomposing garbage. The glass layer protects the landfill from fires, pests and excessive rainwater runoff ¹⁷ . Cheap and durable.

Is glass a good alternative to plastic?

If you choose glass instead of plastic out of concern for the environment, you are making a mistake. Imperial College London calculated that if all plastic packaging in the world were replaced with glass, 87% more CO2 would be released into the atmosphere ¹⁸ . Glass requires much more energy in the production process. Potentially, this process is also more toxic to humans and nature than in the case of plastic production. Recycling glass also poses many problems.

Even global companies, e.g. Coca-Cola ^19,20 , warn their customers that glass is not an ecological alternative to plastic due to its carbon footprint . The use of glass packaging only makes sense if we intend to use it for many years .

Bibliography:

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19. Akwagyiram A., “Coca-Cola chooses plastic bottle collection over aluminum cans to cut carbon footprint.” Reuters.com, November 6, 2019
20. Marley K., op.cit.