Banning the sale of plastic bottles in such venues is purported to be in the interest of the environment, yet research shows that recyclable PET bottles are better for our planet than common alternative beverage packaging.
The San Francisco Airport (SFO) implemented a total ban on the sale of plastic water bottles in August 2019. NAPCOR’s LCA research indicates that, since the ban began, replacing 9,000 water bottles sold daily with aluminum cans would mean an estimated 1,100 metric tons of cumulative extra CO2 equivalent emissions, compared to the greenhouse gas impacts from water bottles. These additional emissions are equivalent* to the greenhouse gas impact of driving 2.8 million miles in a gas-powered passenger vehicle and equivalent to CO2 emissions from:
- 2,500 barrels of oil consumed,
- 2 million lbs. of coal burned,
- 200+ US homes’ electricity use for one year,
- or 133 million smartphone charges.
“There’s a common and dangerous misconception regarding the impact of plastics versus other packaging materials,” said NAPCOR’s Executive Director Laura Stewart. “However, research unequivocally shows that when it comes to beverage packaging, the more sustainable answer is polyethylene terephthalate, better known as PET. Large venues are touting environmental benefits with a ban on plastic containers; in fact, these moves are counterproductive and ultimately cause more harm than good.”
When it comes to beverage delivery systems and making a positive impact on the environment, the LCA found that PET beverage bottles are the best choice when compared to aluminum and glass packaging systems in the U.S. A PET bottle is 100 percent recyclable and can be made with 100 percent recycled content. PET bottles also have a lower impact on several key environmental metrics, including greenhouse gas emissions, expended energy, water consumption, and emissions related to smog formation, acid rain, and eutrophication potential. LCA results show that glass carbonated soft drink (CSD) beverage bottles tend to have the highest environmental impacts for these areas of concern, followed by aluminum beverage cans, then PET bottles.
