Glass vs Plastic: Which is Better?

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If it takes 7 seconds to form a first impression of a stranger, it takes a fraction of that for a consumer to evaluate your product among others on the shelf. A customer might not try your product before making their decision and instead judge the book by its cover, or in this case the product by its container. Material plays a large role in this. Glass and plastic containers make up the vast majority of bottles, jars and jugs on the shelves and we&#;ve listed 7 key factors to consider to help you decide: Which is better, glass vs plastic?

1. Perceived Quality Between Glass vs Plastic

Consumers perceive a difference of quality in glass vs plastic. A study found that participants believed food products packaged in glass had a higher level of pleasantness than the same product stored in plastic. As it tends to be more expensive, glass offers a premium experience in look, feel and weight that can be essential for luxury fruit juices, craft cold brew or other products that want to promote a sophisticated image for marketing.

On the other hand, glass breaks. Plastic offers durability and ease of use. It could be dangerous if you gave a child or baby a glass bottle that he/she could easily drop. Plastic tends to be less slippery than glass, and it can be molded into a variety of shapes and sizes such as a neck with ergonomic finger molds for better grip and easy handling.

2. Difference in Characteristics & Chemical Compatibility

Glass offers inertness and impermeability ideal for sensitive products in the pharmaceutical or personal care industries as well as liquids that store for long periods of time such as spirits and other alcoholic beverages. It is less permeable to CO2 and O2 than plastic, keeping fizzy products bubbly longer. Able to handle a wide range of temperatures, glass will not warp under pasteurization.

Plastic is versatile. It comes in many varieties like polyethylene terephthalate (PET), high density polyethylene (HDPE), low density polyethylene (LDPE), polypropylene (PP) and more. Each of these types of plastic has its own chemical compatibility properties, temperature rating, impact resistance, etc. With so many options, it&#;s likely you can find a plastic container suited for your product and use.

3. Shipping Glass vs Plastic in Bulk

Shipping glass can become expensive fast. This is because glass is typically more fragile and heavier than plastic, leading to higher freight costs. A plastic 2 fl. oz bottle may weigh only .023 lbs. while its glass counterpart weighs .177 lbs. This seems like a small difference when comparing a single bottle but when ordering pallets in bulk, it can add up to large figures that impact your profit margin. Additionally, even with extreme care in shipping, some glass bottles might break during handling.

Plastic, on the other hand, is lightweight and durable, making it much more suitable for transportation than glass. It requires less gas and oil than glass to transport, expending less energy and leaving a smaller carbon footprint. If you need to ship your container long distances, plastic stands as the economic and often eco-friendly option.

4. Which Costs More, Glass or Plastic?

Not only is glass more expensive to ship, it also costs more to produce primarily due to the amount of heat required during production. Glass manufacturing is energy-intensive accounting for 1% of total industrial energy use in an Energy Information Administration (EIA) survey of the manufacturing sector. Natural gas fuels most of this energy.

The melting point of plastic is much lower than glass, requiring less energy during production. With new technology developments in plastic molding, manufacturing plastic containers has become even more affordable. At one point, producing new plastic was even cheaper than recycling it. Economically, plastic exceeds glass in terms of both production and shipping.

5. Environmental Factors & Recycling

Although glass may take more energy to produce and ship, it is 100% recyclable meaning that each time glass is recycled, the resulting product has no loss of quality. Glass can also be reused as it can be washed and sterilized. Most plastic can be recycled, but it can degrade with each cycle. This means that when you recycle a plastic bottle, it typically is not used to make another bottle and instead is used for synthetic clothing or carpets. This process is often called &#;downcycling.&#;

The environmental effects of glass and plastic are not clear cut. Glass makes up 5% of the garbage in the U.S, meaning that even though it is recyclable it often finds its way to the landfill anyway. Producing a single-use glass vs plastic container has a larger environmental impact due to the energy required. However, even though glass is long-lasting it is made from natural material. While plastic is relatively new compared to glass, plastic makes up 20% of garbage in landfills.

6. Does Glass vs Plastic Impact my Health?

Glass is non-toxic, free from potentially harmful chemicals and generally not associated with a negative impact to your health. It is less porous than plastic. It also has a high resistance to leeching into your product even when contained for long periods of time. Organic or all-natural products may want to consider glass products as public knowledge increases of bisphenol A (BPA) and other potentially hazardous chemicals in plastics.

However, most plastics do not contain BPA. Plastic gets a bad reputation for its toxicity and tendency to leech into products. When used incorrectly, plastics can leech possibly harmful chemicals into your product. Improper or extreme storage conditions can accelerate this process. Taking precautions to ensure that your plastic container suits your product and its use can ensure that using plastic is a safe alternative to glass.

The company is the world’s best Plastic Spray Bottles Wholesale supplier. We are your one-stop shop for all needs. Our staff are highly-specialized and will help you find the product you need.

7. What&#;s Going Inside & How it will Be Used

A large determining factor between glass and plastic is what works best for your product. If it&#;s a spirited beverage or a liquid where keeping carbonation is essential, glass might work best for you. Thick substances such as shampoos and lotions often fit a plastic bottle you can squeeze to dispense. Glass vs plastic might help your all-natural beverage sell better, but a product that a child or baby handles might be ideal in plastic.

So what&#;s the bottom line? Which is better and is more beneficial, glass or plastic? Only you know will work for you! Find out more about packaging and containers, as well as lids, caps and closures to go along with them here at The Cary Company.

Since the introduction of plastic packaging, the debate has raged on: which is better for packaging, glass or plastic? Brands and consumers have weighed in over the years with healthy debate from both viewpoints. As a distributor of both glass and plastic container packaging, we wanted to outline the advantages and disadvantages to help you decide which material is right for your brand. 

Throughout the last two decades, plastic has steadily become a more common packaging material, depending on the industry. Knowing what product the packaging is used for can help determine whether glass or plastic is the best material to move forward with. Throughout the retail landscape, you will still see both plastic and glass are used in a variety of household and consumer products, and industries.

Benefits & Disadvantages of Plastic Packaging

Plastic packaging comes in many shapes and sizes and is utilized across all industries. Plastic is most  commonly used in food and household products. 

It has helped improve and evolve products that we use in our everyday lives. There are 7 different ways to classify plastics. Each classification has benefits and disadvantages as a packaging option. 

Some of the benefits of plastic packaging include:

• Helps to protect and preserve goods
  There is a reason you see it more than glass in the grocery store these days. Technology has come a long way and plastic containers do a great job of sealing in flavor and preserving it for a long period of time.
• Reduced transportation weight
  Glass is much heavier than plastic, which leads to higher transportation costs, including cushioning to keep those glass packed products safe. Because plastic is light, there are large cost savings when transporting truckloads of plastic packed products. In Planters switched from glass to plastic for their line of peanut products and reduced shipping weight by a whopping 84%!
• Performance and energy-efficient
  New plastics perform well in a variety of applications from high heat to freezing temperatures. Since plastic has a lower melting point, they are more energy-efficient and leave a smaller carbon footprint compared to glass manufacturing.
• Cheaper than glass
  Plastic is much cheaper than its glass counterpart. It is usually manufactured in large quantities to help keep the overall cost of the material low.
• Highly durable
  Most plastic containers are designed to absorb a small amount of trauma without breaking or cracking. Being durable also helps pack more product into tractor-trailers or shipping containers without fear of breakage.

Some of the disadvantages of plastic packaging include:

• Poor longevity as plastic degrades over time
  Plastic is affected over time by scratches, being dented or cracked. It can also be compromised by excessive light during its life cycle.
• Absorbs flavors and smells easily
  When used for food packaging, plastic can absorb color, flavors, and smells of the product. Think garlic, tomato sauce, or curry dishes!
• Large environmental and health impact
  Even with excellent recycling resources across the country, plastic is still one of the leading causes of pollution. Always make sure to recycle your plastic waste whenever possible to be as eco-friendly as possible. Plastic is also not biodegradable, so making the most of your plastic products before disposing can go a long way.
• At higher risk for high levels of BPA
  While the chances are low, there are still some plastics that may contain BPA. All plastic products that TricorBraun stocks are 100% BPA free and free of potentially harmful toxic chemicals.

Benefits & Disadvantages of Glass Packaging

Glass packaging has been around for over 100 years and is still a staple on grocery store shelves. Pickles and olives come to mind as products that will always use glass jars for their containers. The beer, wine, and spirit markets also use glass bottles for the majority of their products. 

Just like plastic, using glass packaging should be determined by the product that will be held within (for example, the acidity of pickle juice wouldn&#;t do well in plastic). Glass is not only a standard in the food industry, but also in some non-food industries as well. The cosmetics and pharmaceutical industries use glass to protect sensitive creams and expensive drugs that need to be protected from outside elements. The spirits industry uses glass to evoke a premium experience.

Some of the benefits of glass packaging include:

• Glass is nonporous and impermeable
  Because of this, it does not absorb flavors or smells. There are no interactions with glass packaging and the final product. This makes it perfect for sensitive products.
• Has an almost zero rate of chemical interactions
  This helps to ensure that the final product inside the glass container keeps its efficacy, taste, aroma, and flavor longer.
• Made from natural materials
  Glass is manufactured using superheated sand, soda ash, and  limestone taken from the earth.
• FDA has designated it as fully safe
  With no ability to leach chemicals when exposed to hot or cold temperatures, glass is 100% FDA approved for a variety of applications.
• Glass is 100% recyclable
  Glass is easier to recycle than plastic. Almost every piece of glass you encounter has a portion of recycled material in it, making it an environmentally friendly option.
• Can be recycled infinitely
  Glass can always be crushed down and reused in new glass products. Most glass manufacturing companies have a minimum of recyclable material to help make a positive environmental impact and keep costs down.

Some of the disadvantages of glass packaging include:

• Transportation costs are higher than plastic
  Glass is much heavier than plastic. That can lead to higher transportation costs from the manufacturer and along the supply chain, while also adding cost when moving the final product to its final destination.
• Glass manufacturing is high energy-consuming
  This is due to the high temperature required for processing and manufacturing.
• Not highly impact resistant
  While you might be able to get away with dropping a plastic bottle without it breaking, that is rarely the case when it comes to glass products.
• Rigid yet brittle
  Glass can break without significant strain. When broken it can be extremely dangerous because of sharp shards.

So is glass better than plastic? Who&#;s the winner in glass vs plastic for bottles and other types of containers?

Well, the main takeaways are that there are serious advantages and disadvantages to both glass and plastic packaging. It really comes down to the final product and your brand story. 

TricorBraun offers a selection of both glass and plastic packaging products. We stock options that can be outfitted with many types of caps and closures, including child resistant or tamper evident closures. If you are having trouble deciding which packaging solution is best for you, please contact us and we will guide you in your packaging journey. Our knowledgeable team is always happy to assist and can run through the pros and cons of both types of packaging with you to make sure that you find the perfect bottle or jar for your brand&#;s needs.

Are you interested in learning more about Plastic Spray Bottle Supplier? Contact us today to secure an expert consultation!