27 August 2025 – As European regulations increasingly stipulate waste reduction, reuse, and sustainability in packaging, the beverage sector is under pressure to find low-impact alternatives. One promising route is reusable packaging systems.
PET (polyethylene terephthalate) is a transparent, durable and lightweight plastic commonly used in packaging food and drink products, particularly single-use bottles for water, juices and carbonated beverages.
Reusable PET bottles are widely used as a mainstream packaging format in Germany, South Africa, and Latin America, where they can be reused up to 25 times through a deposit return scheme. The potential for reusable PET bottles has yet to be fully explored in the UK, however.
This joint study with Petainer, a leader in sustainable PET packaging, aimed to fill that evidence gap and inform future decisions.
Assessing the environmental impact of reusable PET bottles
In German, South African, and Latin American markets, bottlers refill the bottles with mineral water and carbonated soft drinks. Consumers interact with them just as they would with single-use bottles, purchasing, consuming the product, and then returning the empty bottle to reclaim their deposit. Once returned, each bottle is inspected for contamination, thoroughly cleaned, and refilled for reuse.
Using openLCA v2.2 and the EF3.1 impact assessment method, the Innovation Centre for Applied Sustainable Technologies (iCAST) carried out a cradle-to-grave evaluation of the environmental footprint of reusable PET bottles. These were compared with single-use PET bottles and reusable glass bottles, using market-relevant data from the UK and EU beverage sectors.
Petainer’s long-standing experience in the German market provided valuable operational insights. Additional analysis explored how changes in material inputs, recycling rates, and reuse cycles influence outcomes.
Key findings from the assessment demonstrated that:
- Reusable PET bottles significantly outperformed both single-use PET and reusable glass in multiple environmental impact categories, including greenhouse gas emissions, resource use, and pollution.
- The bottles use up to 15 times less material per litre than single-use bottles, with minor trade-offs in transport-related emissions.
- Reusable PET also had advantages over glass in terms of weight, energy use, and overall carbon footprint.
- Major environmental hotspots were found in preform production and transport, providing clear opportunities for future improvements.
- While reusable packaging formats generally have a lower environmental impact—provided they are actually reused—the choice of material becomes especially important when reuse rates are low.
Laying the groundwork for reusable PET products
The findings offer a data-driven rationale for introducing reusable PET systems in the UK. While Petainer does not currently operate such systems in this market, the evidence points to significant potential for pilot programmes, policy advocacy, and commercial partnerships that support circular packaging models.
This collaboration showcases how scientific analysis can support low-carbon, resource-efficient innovations in packaging. By identifying actionable opportunities for reducing environmental impact, the iCAST–Petainer project helps pave the way for a more sustainable and circular beverage industry.
Michael Joyes, Sustainability Director at Petainer, said, “The Joint Industry Project with iCAST has been a great way for Petainer to collaborate with experts in the field of circular systems, packaging, and life cycle assessments to produce a study with findings that offer a data-driven rationale for introducing reusable PET systems in the UK.”
