Glass or plastic? The advantages of using plastic are undeniable

The glass vs plastic discussion never seems to grow old, especially for those striving to go green. When determining which material is appropriate for your products, there are several factors to take into account. You want a package that not only protects your product but also improves end user experience, boosts brand recognition, and surpasses sustainability goals.

However, you may have questions such as, which is the “best” material for your brand, for instance? Which material is more environmentally friendly? What about its durability and pricing range? What are some of the additional factors to consider? When it comes to functionality, design, and sustainability, the advantages of plastics are rather obvious.

1. Plastic, unlike glass, is resilient, which means it’s less likely to break.

Plastic’s resilience lessens product loss and enhances product safety. Throughout the entire lifecycle of your products, right from the supply chain, the shipping of the bottles to your facility, the filling, storage, retail handling, and end of life, both of these factors are crucial. Plastic can provide a safer user experience for everyone who handles your product especially if it ends up in a fast-paced environment (like a restaurant or supermarket) or is likely to be touched by kids. Plastics also lower the chances of injury to the carrier. Injuries to the carrier may result from broken glass packaging in addition to product returns due to breakages.

2. Plastic can be moulded into a variety of shapes.

This improves the user experience by making packaging easier to hold, invert, or squeeze. Blowplast offers a wide range of plastic container shapes and sizes for your brand.

3. When compared to glass containers, plastic bottles and jars need less effort to both open and close.

This makes it simple to keep the lid or cap tight, preserving the freshness of your product and extending its shelf life. Blowplast provides a wide range of plastic caps and lids for different industries.

 

In terms of sustainability, plastic surpasses glass.

1. Compared to glass, plastic has a lower carbon footprint.

During production, plastic uses less energy and heat as compared to glass. Realistically, plastic beats glass in terms of both production and shipping costs.

2. Plastic helps to create a circular economy.

Glass and plastic containers are both recyclable, although not to the same extent. Glass however is more expensive to recycle than plastic. Glass containers can be washed, sterilised, and reused. On the other hand, plastic containers may be recycled and manufactured from biomaterials therefore minimising the amount of virgin plastic used, which helps create a circular economy.

 

In summary, plastic packaging clearly exceeds glass in terms of performance, design, and sustainability for a wide range of lubricant, pharmaceutical, chemical, cosmetic, edible oil and other products.  Are you looking at introducing or reviewing plastic packaging for your products? Blowplast has got you covered by offering you endless plastic packaging solutions that can elevate your brand.

Get started by contacting us today +254 722 438 477 / +254 733 438 477

 

 

Written by

Angela Kaberia,

Marketing Manager