The human toxicity potential of glass packaging is the lowest compared with plastic, metal and paper, says the first-ever lifecycle assessment study of the Indian glass industry.

The study was commissioned by the All India Glass Manufacturers' Federation, led by companies such as Hindusthan National Glass, Piramal, AGI Glaspac and Vitrium Glass, to assess the environmental impact of glass as a packaging medium. It collected data from 28 furnaces and covered 72 per cent of the domestic glass production.

The assessment, carried out by independent global expert PE International and released here on Monday, says that glass packaging has the highest green potential and the lowest global warming risk, compared with plastic, paper and metal, especially when it comes to processed food and beverages.

“Glass is the most suitable packaging medium to retain product quality and is least damaging to the environment. Also, it is endlessly recyclable,' said Mr Juergen Stichling, Global Director, PE International.

He said increased use of recycled glass in India from 35 per cent at present to 75 per cent will reduce the industry's carbon footprint by almost 40 per cent.

Mr Mukul Somany, President of the Federation, said the industry was planning to take measures to improve the green profile of glass. These include adoption of technology to reduce glass weight from five per cent to 20 per cent, increase recycling from 35 per cent to 50 per cent, and raise the use of natural gas as fuel instead of furnace oil.

The country's glass packaging industry's estimated value is over Rs 6,000 crore, with the country among the top 15 markets for glass packaging globally.

In India, though, plastic is still the preferred medium for packaging processed food and beverages with 48 per cent share, followed by paper, metal and glass.

aditi.n@thehindu.co.in

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