Carbon Footprint of the Life Cycle of Glass Containers

Glass containers are discussed as a type of packaging with minimal adverse impacts on the environment. The results of independent scientific investigations describing variant solutions to the problem of reducing the specific emissions of greenhouse gases in the glass industry are analyzed. The publications were chosen with due regard for minimizing the uncertainties and enlarging the scope. A spectrum of factors influencing the carbon footprint of production was determined. A mathematical model making it possible to calculate the carbon footprint of real industrial enterprises was constructed. The life cycle was scaled to a period of 5 years (12 recycles) for two ways of recycling glass containers: introducing 20% cullet into the batch and washing of serviceable glass containers. A graphical comparison of the obtained results is presented. Methods for stimulating the recycling of glass containers and increasing the share of glassware in food packaging are described.