Why is paper packaging considered better than plastic for water bottles?
- anuj058
- Dec 1
- 5 min read
Plastic is one of the oldest, cheapest, and most widespread forms of packaging for water and food products. It has witnessed tremendous growth in the last few decades, with 1,000,000 plastic water bottles being sold PER MINUTE!
To put that into perspective—
That is 52,560 crore plastic bottles sold a year
If you were to line up all the plastic bottles sold in a year, they would circumnavigate the earth 655 times!
Given these mind-boggling statistics, it's important to understand the impact of our consumption behaviour and if any sustainable alternatives provide us a better solution from a health and climate change perspective.
Health aspects to consider in single-use plastic bottles vs. paper cartons
1. Microplastic contamination in plastic bottles
Single-use plastic bottles are made through a process like blow molding, which is essentially blowing hot air inside a plastic tube to blow it up into the required shape, almost like blowing a balloon. This process causes micro and nano-plastics to be created, which form a part of the final product that is filled inside the bottle.
A study published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences has revealed alarming levels of microplastics in single-use plastic bottled water, with an average of 240,000 plastic particles per liter. This is 10-100 times higher than previous estimates, raising serious concerns about the potential health risks posed by these invisible pollutants. Due to their diminutive nature, microplastics can easily penetrate human tissue, including vital organs, and disrupt important cellular processes.
The Solution: Water packed in our paper cartons is safe from nano and microplastics, as they are made from a simpler process that only requires folding of our paperboard before water is filled in it.
2. Single-use plastic bottles have forever chemicals
A study published in the journal Water Research and led by Johns Hopkins University researchers detected PFAS substances in 39 out of more than 100 bottled waters tested, in some cases at levels deemed concerning by water quality experts.
What are PFAS chemicals? These "forever chemicals" are a group of heat-resistant, toxic chemicals found in many everyday items like plastics, plastic bags, non-stick cookware, food packaging, plastic bottles, and more. Exposure to them are known to cause several health concerns, including increased risks of cancer, reduced immune system efficiency, decreased liver functionality, and fertility issues
The Solution: Water filled in our paper cartons goes through an 8-stage ultrafiltration process to ensure that all harmful chemicals are removed.
Environmental aspects to consider in plastic bottles vs. paper cartons
1. Renewability of the raw material
The raw material for plastic bottles is crude oil and the energy source is commonly natural gas, which are both fossil fuels. Both are non-renewable resources, meaning once we use them up, they’re gone.
It takes more water to make a plastic bottle than it provides to consumers. According to the Water Footprint Calculator, one pound of plastic production has a 22 gallon water consumption. That means it takes at least double the amount of water to produce a single-use bottle as the amount of water in the actual bottle.
In contrast, paper packaging is primarily made from sustainably sourced wood pulp, which comes from trees. Trees are a renewable resource that can be replenished through responsible forestry practices (like we do with our Forest Stewardship Certified supply chain for paper). When managed correctly, forests can provide a continuous supply of raw material while also absorbing carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, contributing to efforts against climate change. Moreover, advancements in technology are allowing for better recycling and repurposing of paper materials, making it a more environmentally friendly option throughout its lifecycle.
2. Carbon Footprint and Lifespan
Based on several life cycle analysis, the carbon footprint associated with producing and disposing of single-use plastic packaging is significantly higher than that of paper packaging. The production of plastic requires a substantial amount of energy, primarily derived from fossil fuels, contributing to greenhouse gas emissions and high carbon emissions, accelerating climate change. Additionally, while plastic products can take hundreds of years to decompose in the environment, paper products typically break down within months, given the right conditions.
The result? Paper packaging not only emits fewer greenhouse gases during production but also reduces long-term environmental impact. By choosing paper cartons for water packaging, consumers are actively participating in reducing the overall carbon footprint and promoting a circular economy.
3. End-of-Life Management
Another critical aspect of the environmental impact is how each material is handled at the end of its lifecycle. Plastic waste poses a significant challenge globally, with millions of tons of plastic pollution ending up in landfills and oceans every year. Once discarded, plastic can take up to 1,000 years to decompose, leading to severe ecological consequences. Marine life is particularly vulnerable, as creatures can ingest plastic debris, and entire ecosystems can be damaged by microplastics. The growth in production of plastic is far outstripping the growth of recycling facilities and recycling infrastructure leading to severe plastic pollution.
4. Environmental impact over the lifecycle of the product
As per several lifecycle analysis studies across the world, plastic bottles have been established to have a 2x higher environmental impact and carbon footprint than paper cartons over the entire life cycle of the products. This is because of a few reasons-
The extraction, processing and refining of crude oil uses a lot of energy, harmful chemicals and toxins are released into the environment and a lot of solid waste is created too. This causes air pollution, ozone depletion and global warming.
Most of the plastic waste created is not recycled and end up in landfills or oceans where they take hundreds of years to break down. Estimates show that globally, 91% of plastic is NOT recycled. The rest ends up in landfills, rivers and the oceans. Even in India, recycling rates are esimtated to be between 8-20%.
Every minute, a garbage truck's worth of plastic pollution ends up in the ocean. Oceana estimates that 17.6 billion pounds of plastic enter our oceans annually. Marine Pollution because of lack of recycling and littering impacts the oceans and the marine life. ~270,000 tons are floating on the surface of the oceans. By 2050, there will be more plastic in the ocean than fish (by weight), according to the Ellen MacArthur Foundation’s The New Plastics Economy report.
The Solution: Paper packaging and paper products takes a lower toll on the environment because it is sustainable, is easier to produce, breaks down naturally in the environment unlike plastic and is therefore a more sustainable option for beverage packaging in comparison to plastic packaging options.
Making the better choice for you and the planet
Given all the wide range of health, safety and environmental impacts of producing and consuming water in plastic packaging, it is safe to say that the paper versus plastic bottle debate has been put to rest. Paper cartons are more sustainable alternatives to plastic for consumers.
Furthermore, the production process for paper products is more sustainable if sourced from responsibly managed forests, ensuring that resources are replenished. Like we do without our paper based packaging, which is FSC certified.
Moreover, the use of paper products reduces our reliance on fossil fuels, as it is often derived from renewable resources. This shift not only mitigates the demand for crude oil, which is primarily used in plastic production, but also reduces greenhouse gas emissions and toxic waste generation associated with the extraction and processing of fossil fuels.