Why do we pack in plastic and not glass?

We pack into plastic jars because there is less risk of product damage of our precious honey as we ship internationally. It reduces the risk of damage during courier shipments. It is also much better for the environment from a carbon footprint perspective - and this matters a great deal when we export the vast majority of the Manuka honey we produce.

Please note that our jars are produced using pharmaceutic grade (higher than food grade) plastic to ensure the highest quality storage of our precious honey.

So why is glass worse than plastic? It basically comes down to weight and energy use. Plastic is really light and strong, meaning much less of it is needed to package products. Glass needs to be thicker to reach the same performance level and is therefore heavier. Next time you’re in the supermarket head to the cereal aisle and check out the 400g granola in plastic and glass (being careful not to drop the glass one). The dramatic difference in weight is because that glass jar and lid weighs 385g in comparison to the 20g plastic pouch. That’s 19 times the weight of the plastic!

So why does weight matter? Weight basically equals fuel and energy consumption. Higher consumption means higher emissions and therefore worse global warming impacts. Every time that glass jar travels it uses a lot more fuel than the plastic pouch. The image below shows a typical journey for packaging from import to recycling plant. Over that journey the heavier glass jar uses 152 units of fuel in comparison to the 9 units for the plastic pouch. 

That isn’t even taking into account the energy required to heat glass to its over 1000°C melting point. This compares to the 160-200°C needed for plastic packaging materials. Glass also beats out plastic for environmental damage in other areas. Glass uses more water to make and process. It also has higher acidification and eutrophication potential. 

Overall single-use plastic is less harmful for the environment than single-use-glass. Before jumping on the bandwagon make sure you consider all the impacts of your purchasing decisions. Not just those at the end of life. 

Using glass might make you feel righteous and environmentally friendly. But you may be accelerating climate change through your decisions.