PET is a thermoplastic polyester that is widely used in our daily lives. It is the basic material for, among other things, soft drink and water bottles, food packaging (such as transparent fruit containers), and synthetic clothing fibres (polyester).
The properties: advantages and disadvantages
PET owes its popularity to a combination of strong material properties:
- Advantages: It is extremely dimensionally stable, crystal clear, lightweight, and tear-resistant. Additionally, PET possesses excellent barrier properties against oxygen and water vapour, which extends the shelf life of food products.
- Disadvantages: PET has limited heat resistance. At excessively high temperatures, the material can deform, making it unsuitable for items such as microwave meals or hot fills.
The environmental impact of PET
To determine the actual environmental impact, we look at the results of a Life Cycle Assessment (LCA). From a comparative data analysis of 1 kg of PET versus 1 kg of PVC, it appears that the environmental impact of PET strongly depends on the chosen impact category.
Looking at the CO₂ footprint (Climate Change), PET scores a higher impact with 3.50 kg CO₂-eq per kg compared to PVC (2.55 kg CO₂-eq). Also in impact categories such as land use (2.52 Pt vs 1.97 Pt), PET has a larger footprint.
In terms of water consumption, PET scores significantly better at 0.68 m³ compared to PVC at 1.02 m³. This underscores that when conducting an environmental assessment, you should always look beyond just the carbon footprint.
Recycling of PET
Although the production phase has a clear environmental impact, PET excels in the waste phase. Of all plastics, PET is by far the easiest and best to recycle.
- High purity: PET is a 'pure' type of plastic. It contains hardly any additives or complex chemical compounds, which greatly simplifies the processing.
- Recycling rate: Thanks to well-organised collection systems (such as deposit-return schemes) and high material quality, around 85% of PET material in the Netherlands is collected and recycled. This allows high-quality rPET (recycled PET) to be reused for new bottles or textiles.
Conclusion
PET is a versatile, lightweight, and functional material with excellent barrier properties. Although LCA results show that initial production scores relatively high in categories such as carbon emissions, the material compensates through its outstanding recyclability. Thanks to its pure chemical structure and high collection rates, PET forms one of the strongest pillars within the circular plastics economy.
.avif)
