Tetra Pack vs PET

Beverage companies no longer pack drinking water exclusively in plastic bottles, as cardboard boxes of drinking water are beginning to gain in popularity. One recent example of Conrad Hotel, Dubai where they started serving for room guests.

Usually these Tetra packs are made of integrated aseptic processing and ultra-high-temperature processing (UHT) into one process which allows perishable goods to be transported long distances without refrigeration. Using this system, product shelf life can extend to at least one additional year. Furthermore, the rectangular cartons weigh less than glass or metal, and save space because of their efficient stacking capability that is not possible with cans or bottles.

Now Tetra Paks touts its product as a viable alternative to plastic water bottles, for Now as a leading example. Today's Tetra Pak cartons are a symbol of sustainability and the return to more natural foods. Products such as almond milk, organic soups, and coconut water fill symmetrical boxes that line supermarkets' shelves around the world.?

Once relegated as a luxury product, bottled water's popularity has surged in the last 20 years; what was once a frivolous purchase is now considered a necessity to many consumers. And the beverage industry has been instrumental in creating this perception.

Still yet, with the plastic and other resources that beverage companies use to bring bottled water to their consumers, a heightened debate over waste has now emerged. Municipalities, concerned with declining landfill space, and environmentalists, opposed to single-use disposable packaging, have cried out against the growth in bottled water sold in polyethylene terephthalate, or PET, bottles.?

Plastic industry trade groups respond with their usual mantra that plastic is lightweight, shatterproof, and convenient. The beverage industry also points out that of all bottled drinks, a 500ml bottle of water generates 111 grams of carbon during its entire lifecycle, lower than that of soft drinks.

A drastic difference also exists when evaluating the "water footprint" of plastic bottles and Tetra Pak cartons. It takes anywhere between 1 to 2 litres to manufacture a 500ml PET bottle. The water footprint for a 500ml Tetra Pak carton stands at 200 ml of water.

Tetra Paks can convince that the trees from which the cartons are made come from managed farms, and furthermore, those trees absorb carbon dioxide during their lifespan. PET bottle promoters retort that the amount of fossil fuels consumed to make bottles is a sliver of the world's supply, and the recycling process is energy efficient.

Hard data notwithstanding, the new paper versus plastic debate is still very nuanced. Tetra Pak cartons are only 75% paper; the rest of the package contains aluminum and polyethylene. As is the case with PET bottles, not all municipalities recycle Tetra Pak cartons, though the fault often lies with cities, not with packaging companies. Furthermore, both PET and Tetra Pak cartons have come under scrutiny for their long-term health effects on consumers.

The larger question is whether our affinity for single-use packaged goods such as bottled water will create a long-term headache for everyone. Municipalities will continue to struggle with landfill space and energy will only increase in price. The world has a finite supply of wood and fossil fuels no matter how well managed they are. Bottled water has its place during humanitarian crises and at times when reliable tap water is unavailable, as the beverage industry is quick to remind us –?but that argument does not stand up to scrutiny in regions where tap water is safe. Furthermore, few, if any, large scale disasters affect us directly during our lifetimes to warrant the current prevalence of bottled water. Tetra Pak may win the water and carbon footprint comparison against PET bottles, but neither option addresses the issue that frustrates civic leaders and sustainability advocates: the continuing increase in waste.