Refillable Glass vs. Recyclable Glass: What’s Really Better for the Environment?
In an age where sustainability shapes consumer choices, the beauty industry faces an increasingly important question: Is reusable packaging genuinely better for the planet than traditional single-use containers? Specifically, can a refillable glass bottle, designed to be refilled from a plastic pouch, significantly reduce environmental impact compared to repeatedly buying new glass bottles?
This question is especially pertinent for eco-conscious skincare brands like Selkia, committed to sustainable, slow beauty practices. Selkia prioritises Australian-made skincare products in eco-friendly, refillable containers, aiming for minimal environmental footprint.
Understanding the Packaging Options
Selkia’s sustainability strategy involves customers purchasing one durable glass bottle, which they reuse indefinitely, refilling from lightweight, single-use plastic pouches. Customers then return these pouches annually, which Selkia recycles through specialised services that repurpose and prolong the life of the pouch.
Alternatively, traditional skincare practices involve purchasing a new glass bottle (or plastic) each time a product runs out, recycling the bottle via curbside systems.
So, how do these two models genuinely compare over time?
Manufacturing and Production: Glass vs. Plastic
Producing glass bottles requires significant energy due to the high temperatures (around 1,400°C) needed to melt silica sand and other materials. Glass manufacturing emits approximately 3 grams of CO₂ per gram produced. A typical glass skincare bottle can easily weigh around 100 grams, generating nearly 300 grams of CO₂ per bottle produced.
Plastic refill pouches, however, while derived from petroleum, require significantly less material per unit and have a much smaller carbon footprint in production. Producing plastic emits around 3.8 grams of CO₂ per gram, but with far less material used per pouch, the overall emissions are substantially lower compared to glass bottles.
The impact difference becomes starkly clear over time. A single reusable glass bottle with plastic pouch refills results in drastically lower total production emissions than continuously manufacturing new glass bottles.
Transport and Distribution Impacts
Transporting packaging from China to Australia and distribution within Australia also significantly influences environmental impact.
Glass, being heavier and bulkier, incurs higher transportation emissions. Repeatedly shipping new glass bottles, potentially multiple times a year, rapidly multiplies these emissions. Lightweight plastic refill pouches dramatically reduce transport-related emissions due to their compact size and lower weight, offering substantial carbon savings.
Over decades of usage, shipping one durable glass bottle plus numerous lightweight refill pouches substantially reduces transportation emissions compared to repeatedly importing heavy glass containers.
Reuse vs Recycling: What's Best?
Glass recycling, though excellent in theory, faces real-world challenges. While glass is infinitely recyclable without loss of quality, actual recycling rates vary significantly. Australia’s national average glass recycling rate stands at about 66%, meaning around one-third of glass containers end up in landfills or are downcycled for lower-grade uses.
Additionally, recycling glass involves energy-intensive processes, including remelting. This means even recycled glass carries a considerable environmental footprint.
Conversely, reusable glass bottles bypass repeated recycling entirely, drastically cutting the energy and emissions associated with glass recycling. The minor environmental cost of occasionally washing a reusable bottle pales compared to repeatedly producing and recycling glass containers.
Reusing Plastic Bottles
Many skincare brands choose plastic packaging due to its lower cost, lightweight nature, design flexibility, and resistance to breakage. Plastic offers a budget-friendly option for both manufacturers and consumers, and its ease of moulding allows for more intricate packaging styles. For mass production and retail pricing targets, plastic is often the default choice in the beauty industry.
At Selkia, we made a deliberate choice to not use plastic bottles. While acknowledging the convenience and affordability of plastic, we prioritised the long-term health of our customers and the environment. Our commitment to slow beauty, conscious consumption, and refillable packaging meant designing for longevity, safety, and true circularity. Glass was the natural choice—it’s inert, endlessly reusable, and doesn’t compromise the integrity of our formulas.
But what about reusing plastic bottles? At a glance, it might seem like a good sustainable option. However, it comes with serious limitations—especially for bottles made of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) and HDPE (high-density polyethylene).
From a health perspective, reusing plastic bottles is not recommended. Over time, plastic degrades and can leach harmful chemicals like antimony, phthalates, and even microplastic particles into liquids or skincare products. These chemicals have been linked to endocrine disruption, developmental issues, and long-term toxicity. Exposure to heat, sunlight, or acidic contents can accelerate this chemical migration.
Moreover, reused plastic bottles often become breeding grounds for bacteria, especially if they’re not thoroughly cleaned and dried between uses. Plastic scratches and micro-cracks can harbour pathogens that are difficult to remove, increasing the risk of contamination.
From an environmental standpoint, plastic cannot be recycled indefinitely. Each recycling cycle degrades the polymer quality, meaning most plastic bottles can only be recycled two to three times before becoming waste. This contrasts with glass, which can be reused and recycled endlessly without degrading in quality.
While plastic bottles may appear lighter and more energy-efficient to manufacture initially, their limited reuse potential and high end-of-life environmental cost make them a less sustainable choice in the long run. Selkia’s commitment to refillable glass packaging addresses these concerns by offering a safer, longer-lasting alternative for both the consumer and the environment.
Repurposing and Recycling Single-Use Pouches
Selkia partners with a third-party specialist that focuses on repurposing materials not accepted by traditional curbside recycling—such as multi-layered plastic pouches and mixed-material pumps. These services offer an alternative to landfill or incineration, with research indicating up to 73% lower environmental impact in comparison.
When customers return their used refill pouches, they are processed into durable goods like composite lumber or industrial materials, helping extend the lifecycle of plastic and reduce dependency on virgin plastic production. This approach supports Selkia’s values of environmental responsibility and conscious consumption, allowing materials that would otherwise be discarded to find a second life in practical, non-single-use forms.
The Reality of Indefinite Glass Reuse
Can glass bottles really be reused indefinitely? The answer, reassuringly, is yes. Glass, chemically inert and stable, doesn't degrade with repeated usage, making it ideal for indefinite reuse if handled with care. Historical evidence and current practices support this, as glass bottles in beverage industries regularly undergo dozens of refills.
For skincare, careful consumer handling could feasibly extend a glass bottle's lifespan over 30 years or more, significantly reducing environmental impacts compared to constantly replacing bottles.
How Product Size Influences Sustainability
Product size notably impacts packaging efficiency. Smaller containers typically use more packaging per millilitre of product, creating higher environmental impacts proportionately. Thus, refilling small containers dramatically cuts waste generation compared to continually producing and disposing of new tiny containers.
For larger sizes (e.g., 150ml cleanser bottles), refill systems drastically reduce packaging waste, significantly diminishing both production and transport emissions.
Comparative Summary: The Environmental Winner
| Metric | Refillable Glass & Plastic Pouch | Single-Use Glass Bottle |
|---|---|---|
| Glass Production Emissions | Very low (one-time) | High (ongoing) |
| Transport Emissions | Low | High |
| Recycling Efficiency | High (via TerraCycle) | Medium (curbside system) |
| Waste Generation | Minimal | Considerable |
| Carbon Footprint | Very Low | High |
Refillable models clearly outperform single-use glass bottles environmentally, particularly in terms of reducing overall material use, transport emissions, and waste generation.
Single-Use Glass in Food and Beverage: Is It More Sustainable?
When it comes to single-use packaging in food, beverage, and supplement industries, the sustainability story between glass and plastic is complex. Glass is often perceived as the more eco-friendly option due to its recyclability and chemical inertness. It doesn’t leach chemicals, retains flavour integrity, and is considered safe for long-term storage. However, glass production is energy-intensive—melting raw materials requires extremely high temperatures, and the resulting containers are heavy to transport, leading to higher emissions in both manufacturing and shipping.
On the other hand, plastics such as PET, HDPE, and PP are lightweight, require less energy to produce, and contribute to lower transport emissions per unit. In terms of immediate carbon footprint, single-use plastic often outperforms glass. But plastic packaging comes with significant environmental drawbacks: low recycling rates, quality degradation with each recycling cycle, and the risk of long-lasting pollution through microplastics.
Ultimately, while glass wins in safety and recyclability, its environmental advantage in single-use scenarios is only realised when effective recycling systems are in place. In practice, the climate impact of single-use glass is often higher than plastic unless the glass is reused. This highlights the urgent need for refill systems and circular design thinking in both the food and beauty industries, reinforcing Selkia’s choice to invest in refillable solutions.
Final Thoughts: Selkia’s Sustainable Choice
Selkia’s model demonstrates a practical and highly effective approach to sustainability in beauty packaging, genuinely reducing environmental impacts over decades of customer use. By choosing refillable packaging and participating actively in specialist recycling programs, consumers can dramatically reduce their environmental footprint, embodying true conscious luxury and slow beauty values.