There has been no avoiding the issue lately- whether via social media, newspaper, campaigns and more… plastic is bad news, right? Well, maybe not quite so much. We all want to do our best when it comes to our planet, and reducing our carbon footprint is right up there with he rest of our daily endeavours to live a greener, more eco-concsious lifestyle. Even small changes will make a huge difference, so whatever adjustments you can make are definitely worth it. Keep doing them. Here at Little Soap we believe that arming ourselves with as much knowledge as possible is the only way to fight through the conflicting information and guidance. So this week we’re bringing you a few tips and advice regarding plastic packaging, and why it might not be the worst choice out there after all. Choosing PET plastic over glass: what you need to know.
What is PET plastic?
PET is the abbreviated term for polyethylene terephthalate, the most commonly used material for plastic drinks bottles on the market. The majority of plastic bottles made today are made from ‘virgin’ rather than recycled plastic, although there are more initiatives rising up today that recycle PET plastic.
So how is PET plastic better than glass?
When it comes to choosing packaging, more and more of us know that plastic is not the way to go. But when it comes to making the choice between glass and plastic, the latter will win out- this is why.
- PET plastic can be recycled into more products than glass, thus making it a more versatile and ‘useful’ material. The resulting carbon footprint of recycling PET plastic is also a lot smaller than that of glass, as it weighs less and therefore more can be carried at a time during transportation of materials. PET plastic is also a lot cheaper to recycle than glass.
- PET plastic production requires less energy and creates fewer greenhouse gases than glass. This makes the overall carbon footprint of PET plastic a lot smaller than for glass.
- For the consumer, PET plastic creates an effective oxygen barrier which means that the product inside is likely to last a lot longer. This helps to cut down on waste and reduces the amount of rubbish sent to landfill. This also means that they’re less likely to break, and that they can be re-sealed, so the products inside can last a lot longer too.
Why do we use PET plastic here at Little Soap?
Hopefully by now, you will realise why we’ve chosen PET plastic over glass when it comes to our own products. That said, there are a few
more reasons why we believe its the best option for us and our products. Of all the plastics we could use, PET plastic breaks down the fastest and will take around 50 years to do so. Moreover, the essential oils that we use in our products require PET plastic as thinner plastics would not be able to hold them sufficiently.
Most importantly, our PET plastic bottles are intended for repeat usage.
We try our best to discourage single use, and it’s for this reason that we now sell large jerry cans that you can use to re-fill your smaller bottles as when you need to. We’re in this for the long haul, and we hope that you are too! As ever, if you have any questions at all about the materials we use in any of our packaging, please do get in touch. We’re always happy to answer questions and as this is a subject we’re so passionate about we fully appreciate your thoughts and comments too.
Choose your plastics wisely
While PET plastic is clearly the better choice over glass when it comes to packaging, it’s important to remember that not all plastics are created equal, and that using them requires an element of responsibility too. Every plastic bottle that is dumped and sent to landfill could have been recycled, and only means that more plastic will need to be created in its place. Please dispose of your unwanted plastic items carefully, and ensure that they can be recycled rather than added to the rubbish dump. Also check that the plastic packaging you’re using does not contain chemicals that can leach out (ours here at Little Soap do not contain such chemicals!) and finally make sure they’re free from PVC. Again, if you have any questions about Little Soap packaging do please get in touch.
