Aren’t single-serve plastic bottles harmful to the environment?
Most single-serve plastic bottles are made of PET, a safe, lightweight, low-cost and recyclable plastic. Though it takes energy and petroleum to create PET, it is 100% recyclable. Also, a recent Life Cycle Analysis conducted by the Allied Development Corporation determined how the environmental footprint and greenhouse gas emissions of manufacturing and transporting PET relates to alternative forms of packaging. The first study found that in North America, PET is the most favorable alternative when compared to aluminum cans and glass bottles for a 355 ml carbonated soft drink application. When measuring greenhouse gas emissions and energy consumption, PET containers had the best performance. The following LCA studies relating to PET are available for viewing: • CSD Beverage Package Performance in North America • CSD Beverage Package Performance in Europe • Wine Package Performance in North America Where there is support and infrastructure in place for recycling, the materials can be be
