Plastic bottles have long been under fire for their damaging effects on the environment, as well as they amount of chemicals they release. As our world becomes more green, and more aware of the damages plastics made with PET may cause us, there has been a strong outcry for more sterile packaging.
Many consumers are even wanting the packaging of their soda bottles and baby bottles to meet the same quality and safety standards of medical packaging.
Medical packaging must keep all items sterile – which means that plastics may not transfer contaminants that may harm a patient. Instead, many healthcare providers are able to choose from a variety of packaging materials, including HIPS, PVC, and PETG, to better meet their safety needs leaving many consumers wondering while their bottles can’t be made of similar sterile materials.
For years, Coca-Cola has been trying to improve its efforts to be more environmentally friendly. Last year, they created one of the largest plastic recycling centers in the United States, and even planned to reduce the amount of water they use to create the bottles. However, their attempts to create a more safe bottle are still in the planning stages. Traditionally, Coca-Cola bottles are made from polyethylene terephthalate, known as PET, which is created from petroleum. PET has been known to release chemicals when heated, leaving many consumers concerned.
To create a better bottle, Coca-Cola, in addition to other bottle producers such as those who create baby bottles and reusable water bottles, has developed a more plant-based bottle created from sugar-cane based materials. Although the bottle has reduced the amount of PET by 30 percent, consumers still want a more environmentally friendly bottle that will benefit both them and the planet.
While Coca-Cola is battling to find a better plastic bottle, many baby bottle creators are looking to medical packaging more closely for inspiration and have embraced the idea of stainless steel. Today, companies like Green to Grow and CoddleNeck, are creating both stainless steel and glass baby bottles to reduce the chemicals children would otherwise be exposed to if they drank from PET based bottles.
There is no doubt that medical packaging will continue to inspire bottling companies to provide safer bottling options for consumers. Many large companies, such as Coca-Cola, are receiving large grants to continue research and hope to produce a plant-based bottle with little to no PET within the next five years.
