One-way glass for a brewery
- Filed in:
- Bottles,
- Recycled content,
- Beverage
Just wondering if any one has done any work in quantifying the environmental impact of one-way glass in the brewing industry vs. the bottle return/refund model?
Posted September 14, 2009
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LCA and bottle recycling
Rita Schenck
Many recycling studies have been done on bottles. The bottom line is that it depends on how far away you are from the reuse/recycling facilities. If the catchment area is small, you don't use much energy to get the bottle back. If it is large, you do.
A study done by the government of Germany found that the reused bottle was better, but if the bottle was shipped in from farther away (e.g. Austria, not that far), disposal was more environmentally friendly.
Surely the best scheme for
Hugh Madgin...Surely the best scheme for everybody is that developed in the UK in the 1950s, whereby 'London Standard' bottles were introduced with a standard design for nips, half-pint and pint bottles. With this scheme any bottle from any brewery could be returned to any other, with very few exceptions. Thus any dray delivering full crates of bottles to a pub of off-licence would take back crates of empty bottles on its return journey.
This scheme worked brilliantly for 30 years until the late 1980s when 'designer beers' in non-returnable bottles started to make their appearance in the on-trade. I remember my incredulity when we were told that the consumer of Harp Premier in its 'stylish' bottle could take the bottle home with them (!) as it would be a desirable item.
I have watched with increasing disbelief over the last 10 years as during an era when environmental issues are ever more important, brewery after brewery has dropped the London Standard bottle. This year the last national brand to use London Standard half pints, Manns Brown, went over to throwaway bottles. How stupid is that?
Ironically, the 1pt London Standard bottle has been revived by first Magners and then other cider makers, although none of these bottles are actually returned. The last 1pt London Standard I saw used for beer was by micro brewery the Hereward Brewery last year, for some scrumptious stout. Britain's greenest (and, I believe most profitable, although I stand to be corrected on this) brewery, Harveys of Lewes continues with the half-pint London Standard - long may it do so. In the meantime I wince every time I go to an off-licence or supermarket and buy beers in (mainly) the inconvenient half-litre size 'bottles usually to a slightly 'retro' style, all of which will end up as cullet at best.
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