Glass soda bottles could be worse for the environment than plastic, the world’s biggest drinks manufacturer has warned, as the UK’s anti-plastic drive has seen more glass bottles sold.
Coca Cola said it had seen a 14 per cent increase in the distribution of glass bottles over the past year, which are increasingly seen as a trendy and more environmentally friendly alternative to plastic bottles.
But despite this common view, a spokesman for Coca Cola warned that glass may not be less damaging to the environment than plastic, as it is much heavier, and therefore has a much larger carbon footprint. Carbon dioxide is one of the gasses which scientists have found to be behind global warming.
He added that all its packaging materials are 100 per cent recyclable – so whether consumers choose to buy a plastic bottle, can or glass, all of these can be recycled.
It comes after major supermarkets and food manufacturers in Britain have pledged to eradicate unnecessary single-use plastics by 2025, under a new “UK Plastics Pact”.
Meanwhile major supermarkets have launched bottle deposit schemes where consumers can redeem money or in-store vouchers in return for their empty plastic bottles.
Fears have been mounting over plastic bottles ending up in oceans and rivers as consumers were frequently putting them in the bin instead of recycling them.
Coca Cola said sales of glass bottles, which are commonly found in restaurants and bars, had risen dramatically after it launched a new multi pack of mini glass bottles in supermarkets.
A spokesman for Coca Cola added: “Glass is much heavier than plastic and so has a much larger carbon footprint. All of our packaging materials are 100 per cent recyclable – so whether you choose to buy a plastic bottle, can or glass, all of these can be recycled. “We offer our drinks in a wide range of packing formats including plastic bottles, glass bottles and aluminium cans. All of the packaging materials we use are 100 per cent recyclable. Glass bottles continue to be popular with our consumers, with sales increasing year on year.”
Source: The Telegraph
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