When it comes to packing our Olala beverages we intentionally selected the most sustainable and aesthetically pleasing container on the market – glass. Plastic containers are not biodegradable and can harm the environment. Aluminum containers are recyclable but are less friendly to the environment to produce and can sometimes chemically interact with the product and create off flavors. Glass is an eco-friendly, recyclable, premium, and the best container for a carbonated beverage.
Here are our top five reasons for using glass containers:
According to the “Cheers For Sustainability” article on glass vs aluminum containers, a life cycle assessment comparing 500-mL aluminum cans and glass bottles for packaging beer shows that aluminum cans result in more depletion of freshwater resources, generation of greenhouse gas emissions, and consumption of electricity and oil than glass bottles.
Glass containers take less energy to produce and result in fewer byproducts that are harmful to the environment. The life cycle analysis considers glass bottles more environmentally friendly due to their lower greenhouse gas emissions than aluminum cans, which are estimated to result in 1.88 times more emissions. “The hot spot for the analysis is the natural gas use and electricity used during the electrolysis process to prepare molten ingot aluminum,” the report concludes. Glass production is more friendly to the environment than the alternatives.
The study concludes that glass is the better choice for the environment because it is the most efficient container to be recycled and is returned at a higher rate than other containers. Plastic can take decades to completely disintegrate and the process involves the release of toxic materials. Aluminum recycling involves multiple steps and consumes more energy to reproduce than the melting of glass. The well-established recycling channels for glass deliver a higher return rate than any other container and as a result, more glass is ultimately returned for another “trip”. A used glass jar can be recycled into another glass jar, maybe even two. Think about the superior recycling attributes of glass when you consider your container choice.
Plastic or Aluminum containers can leach chemicals not only into the environment but into their contents as well. This can happen especially when you transfer hot substances into a plastic container, leaving the container in a hot car, or when you microwave food in plastic. Aluminum containers can chemically interact with certain liquids and attract compounds from a beverage directly onto the lining of the container. Food, drinks, cosmetics, and other things packaged in plastic may contain traces of chemicals found in the packaging, and some of these chemicals can be toxic. Glass does not leach into the contents of the container and is the best container to safely preserve the product in its intended form for consumption.
At some point, we have to dispose of plastic containers. They may have gotten warped due to hot contents, or they may also have gotten discolored due to years of use. Plastic can also absorb and house potentially harmful microbes, which means that using plastic containers for a long time isn’t a good idea. Aluminum containers are rarely reused and therefore contribute more to the litter stream than other alternatives. Glass containers are more durable (as long as you don’t break them) and are better for the environment because they can be reused over and over and can stay functional for years and years. When glass does break or is recycled it can be converted into another container efficiently and with minimal impact to the environment.
There is a reason that high-end liquors, wine, and beer are almost exclusively sold in glass containers. Glass looks and feels premium. It delivers a sleek container that can be customized for each product and can be decorated in an infinite variety of ways.
When you consider the environment, the recycling impact, the preservation of the product, and durability, glass containers are the best choice. To top it all off glass looks and feels extremely high-end, and that’s the feeling we want our customers to have when enjoying our delicious, and refreshing Olala beverages. Olala beverages are delivered in a sleek shrink wrapped glass container which looks and feels premium. So much the better that we can consume the best selling cannabis beverage – Olala and know that we are also doing our best to conserve our environment.
