If you are looking for more good reasons to eliminate plastic beverage bottles, be sure to read Hidden Hazards: The Chemical Footprint of a Plastic Bottle. It reveals the health, environmental, and climate threats caused throughout the lifecycle of plastic beverage bottles (made from polyethylene terephthalate or PET)—from the hazardous air emissions released in the petrochemical manufacturing process to the cancer-causing toxic chemicals leaked in the consumption and final waste stages.
Making PET requires hundreds of chemicals, including ethylene oxide (EtO), the most potent cancer-causing chemical emitted by chemical manufacturers, and antimony. Antimony is one of at least 150 chemicals that can escape from the 100 billion bottled beverages made by U.S. beverage companies each year. Antimony exposure has been linked to cancer and toxic effects on organs, such as the liver.
Mechanical recycling of plastic bottles releases toxic cancer-causing chemicals such as benzene and styrene that may later escape from bottles into beverages, which could increase even more with more recycled content in new bottles.
Landfills, Burning: Not a Good Idea
Burning PET as a method of disposal or to generate energy releases toxic chemicals into the environment, including polyaromatic hydrocarbons and polychlorinated biphenyls (several of which are cancer-causing), and heavy metals. Further, plastic waste in the environment concentrates harmful pollutants and breaks down into microplastics that enter the food chain.
The beverage industry’s addiction to plastic bottles is not only poisoning people but also worsening the climate crisis. The report shows that with 99 percent of PET plastics made from oil and gas, PET production is fueling the demand for fossil fuels despite the growth of renewable energy. The PET plastic supply chain emits nearly nine million metric tons of greenhouse gases in North America every year, roughly equivalent to the annual emissions of two million cars. With PET production projected to double in the next decade, so will its climate impacts.
The report outlines recommendations for market leaders and the federal government—those in the best position to reduce the chemical footprint of a plastic bottle at scale—to implement safer solutions that will better protect the health of people and the planet. The full report can be found here.
Green Lodging News has reported on alternatives to plastic beverage bottles, including water available in paper-based bottles, plant-based bottles, cartons, and aluminum containers. Search on “water cartons” on Green Lodging News, visit the “Water/Sustainably Packaged” section of our Green Product & Service Directory, or I will gladly share the names of those companies that offer plastic bottle alternatives. I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Who is Your Sustainability Champion?
Green Lodging News is always looking to profile sustainability champions in our Personnel Profile section. If you would like to nominate someone for this section of Green Lodging News, contact me at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Looking for Guest Columnists
Every two weeks Green Lodging News posts a new guest column on its website. (Click here for examples.) The guest column also appears in the weekly e-newsletter. Green Lodging News is currently in need of industry experts to contribute occasional guest columns. Experts may include consultants, architects, designers, suppliers, and those who own or operate green lodging establishments. Columns may be articles that take a stance on a particular subject or be strictly educational in nature. Columnists benefit by having their photo included along with a one paragraph description of their company. Interested in writing a column? Contact Glenn Hasek, publisher and editor, at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
Get in the Green Suppliers Spotlight!
Green Lodging News, lodging’s leading environmental news source, publishes Green Suppliers Spotlight, an e-blast to 19,695 subscribers that features the lodging industry’s leading green products and services. The e-blast features multiple vendors—unlike the current Green Supplier Spotlight that allows one supplier to “own” the Green Lodging News subscriber list for one e-blast. (Click here for a Green Suppliers Spotlight sample.)
Green Suppliers Spotlight is published weekly on Thursdays to general managers, owners, management companies, directors of sustainability, directors of engineering, facilities managers and many others who are either in purchasing positions or who influence purchasing decisions. Suppliers of green products and services throughout North America and beyond are invited to participate in the e-blast. (Minimum two suppliers per e-blast.) Green Suppliers Spotlight was created to give vendors an opportunity to reach a high number of industry purchasers at a very low cost—as low as $135 per e-mail. (Click here for rate sheet.)
Those advertising in Green Suppliers Spotlight can include up to 100 words, one image, contact information and multiple links to their website in their ad. At the end of each week, a report will be sent to each supplier with information on delivered e-mails, opens and click-throughs.
Planning Advertising for 2023?
Green Lodging News is accepting reservations for advertising spots for 2023. Many excellent spots are available on our website and in the weekly e-mail newsletter. Many Green Supplier and Green Suppliers Spotlight dates are also available. Interested in receiving a 2023 media kit? Be sure to contact me as soon as possible at (813) 510-3868, or by e-mail at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com. A media kit can also be accessed by clicking here. Thank you to all those companies that consistently support Green Lodging News.
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As always, I can be reached at greenlodgingnews@gmail.com.
