With environmental concerns at the forefront, there is a rise in demand for ecological packaging solutions. Additionally, the ban on single-use plastic by the Indian government has further encouraged the usage of sustainable packaging materials. Polyethylene terephthalate (PET) is gaining more attention as it is the easiest plastic to recycle.
PCR plastics reduce the number of single-use plastics in landfills as these plastics are recycled from once-existing plastic bottles. Recycling these materials into other packaging materials will drastically reduce the requirement for pure virgin plastic beverage containers. Tetra Packs, glass, and aluminum cans are the other options for beverage industries to reduce plastic usage. Tetra packs are lighter to transport and also take much less energy to make compared to other forms of packaging, making them climate friendly. Glass bottles can be recycled as many times as possible if properly preserved and recycled. But glass bottles are heavy to transport and require more energy to make. Hence industries are looking at using thinner glass bottles. Aluminum cans can be infinitely recycled and also lighter than glass. In conclusion, glass bottles and aluminum cans are better compared to tetra packs in terms of plastic pollution. On the other hand, tetra packs are better in terms of climate change.