On November 14, 2023, the civil society organization Oceana published a report analyzing the benefits of switching from single-use to reusable beverage packaging.
According to the report, an increase of ten percent in reusable packaging by 2030 could eliminate over 1 trillion single-use plastic bottles and cups (FPF reported and here). Consumers purchased over 755 billion liters of non-alcoholic ready-to-drink (NARTD) beverages in 2022, according to the GlobalData dataset used for the analysis. Oceana calculated that 6.3% of this volume was sold in reusable packaging. In comparison to that, 75% were sold in single-use plastics. Single-use metal, single-use glass, and other single-use materials made up 9.6%, 2.2%, and 7.2% respectively. The civil society organization further approximated that the global total NARTD beverage sales in 2022 amount to an equivalent of 1.1 trillion 500 ml single-use plastic bottles. It was anticipated that 133 billion of these containers would end up in aquatic systems.
The leading soft drink companies Coca-Cola and PepsiCo already have reuse systems in place and have both pledged to increase the volume of beverages sold in reusable packaging by ten percent by 2030. The authors of the Oceana report highlighted the importance of those companies to comply with their commitments, as they “[…] have a history of not meeting commitments.” In addition, they urge other companies to step up as well.
The report includes a summary of research showing the extent of plastic pollution in the world’s oceans and the negative effects single-use plastics have on marine life. In a paper published in 2018 in Science, it was estimated that 11.1 billion plastic items are polluting the coral reefs of the Asia-Pacific region alone.
Furthermore, the authors of the report argued that shifting toward reusable packaging is more beneficial to the environment than increasing recycling efforts. “[R]ecycling is a false solution,” they stated. Accordingly, adding more recycled content to single-use plastic bottles would not prevent them from being thrown away and ending up in waterways. Besides, only 9% of all plastic waste up to date has been recycled. Moreover, scientific evidence suggests that plastic recycling facilities release microplastics into the environment, further adding to plastic pollution (FPF reported and here).
“We’ve estimated that a stack of the single-use plastic packaging used by the beverage sector in 2022 alone could reach all the way to the sun and back. Adding recycled content to bottles and cups won’t topple this single-use plastic tower. The way to really make a difference is to replace single-use plastic with reusable packaging”, says Matt Littlejohn, Senior Vice President for Strategic Initiatives for Oceana, in the press release.
In conclusion, Oceana requests beverage companies to adopt reuse systems, reduce production of single-use plastics, and set targets to increase reusable packaging by at least ten percent.
From November 13 – 19, 2023, various nations and stakeholders met in Nairobi, Kenya, to continue negotiations to develop a global plastics treaty (FPF reported). The discussions also touched upon the implementation and expansion of reuse systems for beverage packaging (FPF reported).
For more information on reusable food packaging, the Food Packaging Forum has published a fact sheet outlining critical factors to consider when switching to reuse.
References
Oceana (November 14, 2023) “Report: Switching to Reusable Packaging Could Eliminate 1 Trillion Single-Use Plastic Bottles and Cups.”
Oceana (November 14, 2023) “Refill again.”
Lamb, J.B. et al. (2018) “Plastic waste associated with disease on coral reefs.” Science. DOI: 10.1126/science.aar3320
