Glass packaging manufacturer Owens-Illinois (O-I) has revealed the results of a comprehensive global study of the complete life cycle of glass containers.

The life cycle assessment (LCA), which measures the carbon emissions generated by each phase in the life of a glass container, represents the foundation of O-I’s new sustainability programme.

The company claims its study is the first in the packaging sector to follow the complete life cycle of a package – from the extraction of raw materials to the reuse or recycling of the container. The model used for the study also allowed an assessment of ‘cradle-to-cradle’ life cycle data on aluminium and plastic Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) containers, enabling true comparisons between the packaging materials.

“Widespread inconsistencies in carbon footprint assessments have made it nearly impossible to compare the impact of one packaging material with that of another,” said O-I’s Chief Executive Officer Al Stroucken.

“Many assessments used today only take into account a portion of the full life cycle of a product, resulting in incomplete and inaccurate data. We knew we needed to take the best and most complete approach possible to bring clarity to the conversation and provide an accurate picture of how glass compares with other packaging materials,” Mr Stroucken added.

O-I used manufacturing and publicly available data on the production of aluminium and PET to compare glass with these competing packaging materials. Its life cycle assessment model was tested and validate by AMR Research, which specialises in supply chain and sustainability research.

“Our assessment shows that glass clearly has the most favourable carbon footprint, said Jay Scripter, O-I’s Vice President of Sustainability. “When you look at the complete life cycle of glass, commonly held misconceptions are disproved. Food and beverage makers concerned about sustainability should choose glass,” he added.

Additional findings from O-I’s life cycle assessment include the following: The transportation of glass containers comprises just 4-5% of the complete carbon footprint of glass packaging; every 10% of recycled glass used in production cuts carbon emissions by approximately 5% and reduces energy by some 3%; and O-I’s use of 36% of recycled glass globally generates enough energy savings to offset the emissions produced by the finished goods transportation.

O-I has confirmed that the sustainability goals it has established from this study will be announced shortly.