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Commentary
COMMENTARY: REUSABLE CONTAINERS ARE NOT ALWAYS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAN
DISPOSABLE PLASTIC ONES
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Commentary
COMMENTARY: REUSABLE CONTAINERS ARE NOT ALWAYS BETTER FOR THE ENVIRONMENT THAN
DISPOSABLE PLASTIC ONES
Individual packaging choices will have limited influence without more efficient
recycling systems worldwide, says researchers.
Man eating food with disposable chopsticks from a styrofoam container. (File
photo: Unsplash)
ALEJANDRO GALLEGO SCHMID
ADISA AZAPAGIC
JOAN MANUEL F MENDOZA
Alejandro Gallego Schmid , Adisa Azapagic & Joan Manuel F Mendoza
11 Sep 2021 06:00AM (Updated: 11 Sep 2021 06:00AM)
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MANCHESTER: We are facing a waste crisis, with landfills across the world at
full capacity and mountains of “recycled” waste dumped in developing countries.
Food packaging is a major source of this waste, giving rise to an industry of
“environmentally friendly” reusable food and drink containers that is projected
to be worth £21.3 billion (US$29 billion) worldwide by 2027, well over double
its 2019 value of £9.6 billion.
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But while it might seem like reusing the same container is better than buying a
new single-use one each time, our research shows that reusable containers could
actually be worse for the environment than their disposable counterparts.
Reusable containers have to be stronger and more durable to withstand being used
multiple times - and they have to be cleaned after each use - so they consume
more materials and energy, increasing their carbon footprint.
Our research set out to understand how many times you have to reuse a container
for it to be the more eco-friendly choice, in the context of the takeaway food
industry.
We looked at three of the most widely used types of single-use takeaway
containers: aluminium, polypropylene (PP) and extruded polystyrene (commonly
known as Styrofoam, but correctly referred to as EPS).
Photo: A: aluminium (single-use); B: Extruded polystyrene (Styrofoam;
single-use); C: Polypropylene (single-use); D: Polypropylene (reusable). Author
provided.
We compared these with commonly used reusable polypropylene food containers,
popular among eco-conscious consumers.
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IMPACT OF RESOURCE CONSUMPTION FOR REUSABLES
The results showed clearly that Styrofoam containers are by far the best option
for the environment among single-use food containers.
This is mainly due to their use of only 7.8g of raw materials compared with PP
containers’ 31.8g. Also, they require less electricity for production compared
with aluminium containers.
Even a reusable container would have to be reused between 16 and 208 times for
its environmental impact to equal that of a single-use Styrofoam container.
We assessed 12 environmental impacts across the entire life cycle of a food
container. These included the container’s contribution to global warming and
to acid rain, its toxicity to humans and natural ecosystems and its effects on
the ozone layer.
Taking these into account, you would have to reuse a container 16 times to
counteract the impact on air pollution of using the single-use container - and
208 times to counteract the impact of resource consumption.
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RELATED:
COMMENTARY: HERE’S WHAT MONTHS OF FOOD DELIVERIES AND TAKEAWAYS HAVE TAUGHT US
COMMENTARY: WHY DOES SINGAPORE STILL LACK A RECYCLING ETHOS?
When it comes to endangering our landscapes, reusable containers are always a
worse option - regardless of the number of times used - due to the electricity
required to heat the water for washing them. This is thanks to the emission of
substances like heavy metals in electricity generation, which are toxic to many
land-based organisms.
Similar results to ours have been reported for coffee cups, with one
study concluding that it takes between 20 and 100 uses for a reusable cup to
offset its higher greenhouse gas emissions compared to a disposable cup.
BEING REALISTIC ABOUT RESUSE
A common criticism of Styrofoam containers is that they are not currently
recycled.
Although technically possible, the low density of Styrofoam (containing 95 per
cent air) means that vast amounts need to be collected and compressed before
they can be shipped to a recycling plant, making Styrofoam recycling
economically tricky.
However, we found that increasing recycling rates for the three types of
single-use takeaway containers to the level of the European Union’s 2025
packaging waste recycling target - 75 per cent for aluminium and 55 per cent for
plastic - would reduce their impacts by 2 per cent to 60 per cent.
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This includes an annual drop in carbon emissions equivalent to taking 55,000
cars off the road.
That does not mean that reusing containers is always worse for the planet. We
just need to be realistic about the number of reuses it takes to make
environmental sense.
IN AN ERA WHERE CHEAP GOODS ARE ABUNDANT ON ONLINE SHOPPING PLATFORMS, WILL
PEOPLE PAY MORE FOR SUSTAINABLY PRODUCED GOODS? A NTU MARKETING EXPERT DISCUSSES
ON THE CLIMATE CONVERSATIONS:
But reuse is a considerable challenge for an industry optimised for on-the-go
consumption.
Unless it is highly convenient or they are offered an incentive, such as money
back, customers are not likely to carry around empty containers until they can
return or reuse them. There are also potential issues with liability for food
poisoning and cross-contamination from allergens when reusing containers.
Despite this, reuse has been shown to work in the takeout sector, as with
reusable box schemes like reCIRCLE in Switzerland. However, systems like this
require considerable investment, particularly to help customers return
containers.
A more promising model may be one where the vendor directly collects empty
containers from the customer to be refilled with the same substance, in the
style of old-fashioned milk delivery rounds. Similar models, like Terracycle’s
Loop, aim to reuse each container up to 100 times.
INDIVIDUAL PACKAGING CHOICES HAVE LIMITED INFLUENCE
Unfortunately, single-use takeaway containers frequently end up contaminating
natural environments. Almost half of the plastic polluting the world’s oceans
comes from takeaway containers.
But instead of switching from single-use, a better environmental solution may be
to encourage food companies to invest in more efficient recycling systems
worldwide.
Graphic: Number of container reuses required to offset negative climate effects
driven by their production: including climate change, resource consumption, air
pollution, acid rain, eutrophication, marine toxicity, human toxicity and
terrestrial toxicity. Author provided
The takeaway message?
Individual packaging choices will have limited influence as long as the whole
system remains in need of a complete overhaul. For example, a consumer might opt
for a compostable container, but that will not help if their area does not have
an industrial composting facility.
It is time we shifted packaging design from being product-based - focused on
providing maximum features and functionality - to user-centred, focusing on
improving customers’ lives by empathising with their desires for a cleaner
world.
That means coupling environmentally sound and low-impact materials with a waste
infrastructure that appreciates how humans actually behave and is designed to
help them lead sustainable lives.
When convenience and sustainability are pursued together, everyone wins.
Alejandro Gallego Schmid is Senior Lecturer in Circular Economy and Life Cycle
Sustainability Assessment at the University of Manchester. Adisa Azapagic is
Professor of Environmental Chemical Engineering at the same university. Joan
Manuel F Mendoza is Research Fellow in Circular Economy and Industrial
Sustainability at the Ikerbasque Foundation. The commentary first appeared on
The Conversation.
RELATED:
COMMENTARY: WHAT WILL IT TAKE FOR SINGAPORE TO GIVE UP PLASTIC?
COMMENTARY: WHEN OUR INSATIABLE APPETITE FOR DATA CAN HARM THE ENVIRONMENT TOO
Source: CNA/ch
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