Plastic Bottles: Sustainability Flow
Plastic bottles are widely used but carry significant environmental footprints. Understanding the sustainability flow of PET and HDPE bottles helps identify where circular solutions can reduce impact.
🔁 Lifecycle Flow
- Raw Materials: Crude oil or natural gas → Ethylene/Paraxylene → PET/HDPE resin
- Manufacturing: Injection molding & blow molding → Bottle creation
- Distribution: Transport to retail stores or bottling plants
- Usage: Single-use for water, soda, cleaning products
- End-of-Life: Recycling, incineration, landfill, or environmental leakage
📊 Key Sustainability Metrics
- Carbon footprint: ~80-130 g CO₂e per bottle
- Energy demand: 2-4 MJ per bottle
- Recycling rate (EU avg): ~40-50%
- Decomposition time (landfill): Up to 450 years
✅ Circular Strategies
- Design for recyclability (mono-material bottles + labels)
- Use of recycled PET (rPET) in new bottle production
- Deposit return systems to improve collection rates
- Switch to refillable or reusable bottle systems