O-I Presents Complete Glass Life Cycle Assessment at China Safe and Sustainable Packaging Summit

Detailing cradle-to-cradle life cycle data on glass, aluminum and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) containers, O-I’s LCA reveals glass has the most favourable carbon footprint of all those packaging types.

4/8/2011 --- Owens-Illinois, Inc., the world’s largest glass packaging manufacturer, last week presented its complete Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) study at the China Safe and Sustainable Packaging Summit in Hangzhou, China.

The China Safe and Sustainable Packaging Summit shares best practices in reducing resource use, waste and associated costs and creating sustainable packaging with consumer appeal.

Detailing cradle-to-cradle life cycle data on glass, aluminum and Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) containers, O-I’s LCA reveals glass has the most favourable carbon footprint of all those packaging types.

Validated by sustainability research firm AMR Research, O-I’s LCA also shows that using recycled glass directly reduces carbon emissions. Every 10% of recycled glass used in production cuts carbon emissions by about 5% and reduces energy use by some 3%.

Further, transporting finished glass containers comprises only a small portion (4 to 5%) of the complete carbon footprint of glass packaging.

“Sustainable packaging is becoming a critical consideration for food and beverage industries in Asia Pacific. O-I’s LCA enables a true comparison between packaging materials as it details the complete life of a package – from the extraction of raw materials to the reuse or recycling of the container,” said presenter Steve Bourke, Regional Environmental and Risk Manager, O-I Asia Pacific.

“The focus on sustainable packaging in China is expected to grow due to environmental awareness, government initiatives and an increasing population. Glass is not only the consumer choice for taste, purity and safety, it’s also 100% recyclable, forever.

“O-I’s LCA provides key packaging decision-makers in China with more insight into the environmental impact of their packaging choices. It also dispels many myths associated with the carbon footprint of different packaging types,” Mr Bourke said.

O-I is China’s second largest glass manufacturer, with eight plants and one mould factory. O-I’s China operations produce around one million tonnes of glass packaging per annum, mainly for the beer, food, wine and spirits industries.