Think You're Being Sustainable by Choosing Glass Juice Bottles? Think Again

You may want to think twice about the packaging of your orange juice the next time you reach for a bottle at the grocery store. 

In July, researchers from the University of Amherst published the study, "Unpacking Consumer Preferences: Perceptions and Sustainability of Packaging Material for Orange Juice," in the journal Sustainability, which uncovered the most sustainable packaging for orange juice. And the results may surprise you. 

According to the study, consumers are after the most sustainable and cost-effective packaging available. And for the majority of consumers, that means they reach for glass bottles as they perceive the packing as the best option for both. However, as the study concludes, "Despite glass being idealized as being the most sustainable, other packaging types may be more sustainable." 

“Glass was the most sought-after and most highly esteemed packaging type,” Nomzamo Dlamini, lead author of the paper, shared in a release. It came to this finding after surveying nearly 850 adult consumers on their ideal orange juice packaging, with the average coming out to a 12-ounce bottle priced at $1.10, packaged in glass, labeled as 100% recyclable, and locally produced. And while that all sounds great, it's not serving the sustainability purposes people are after. 

“It turns out glass is actually among the least sustainable if you look at the whole packaging lifecycle," Dlamini added. 

The team discovered this anomaly after it followed the packaging cycle of glass, carton, aluminum, and plastic, finding that though the sustainability of food packaging varies by the type of product, its size and weight, and several other variables, for single-serve orange juice, the carton is king. In fact, the study ranked plastic in second, followed by canned, and finally, glass in dead last. 

“I was shocked to read the lifecycle assessment from the experts that it takes so much energy to produce glass and recycle it — much more than what it takes to make or recycle plastic,” Dlamini added.

As for how that can possibly be, the team found that the production and "end-of-life impacts of plastic" are less than that of glass as "plastic is lighter and thus requires less energy to transport." Additionally, the study noted, "the aseptic sealing process of plastic containers using steam is less energy demanding than the retort system used for glass.”

While the study aimed to understand consumer motivation in terms of packing choices, the paper concluded, “Overall, while packaging choices contribute to environmental outcomes, the most impactful and practical way consumers can contribute to sustainability efforts is to reduce or avoid food waste."