A lot of research has been conducted on the impact of plastic on the environment and it goes without saying that packaging waste is a huge problem. Plastic debris poses a huge threat to our eco system, filling up your ocean and poisoning wildlife. Yet, manufacturers still choose plastic over glass in many cases. Why is that? As it turns out, it’s not simply a matter of cost-saving.
As you’d expect a lot of factors have to be taken into account when deciding what packaging materials to use for a product. Things like shape, weight, recyclability and cost all have to be addressed. Take the food industry, for instance, where PET and other plastic containers are still widely used. One of the biggest benefits of plastic here is its flexibility. While glass can be shaped to contain a whole range of different products, plastic has even more possibilities. Apart from bottles, plastic can be molded into all kinds of shapes – and quite easily so – such as canisters, trays and containers.
Additionally, plastic packaging generally takes up less space than glass, allowing more products to be stored within the same room. Plastic is also much lighter than glass, a benefit consumers who are prone to buy in bulk greatly appreciate. Finally, the weight and space issue is a big deal from a logistics perspective as more items can be crammed into one truck.