The Truth About Glass Packaging: Is It Really the Best Option?

The Truth About Glass Packaging: Is It Really the Best Option?

Glass sounds like the perfect eco-friendly packaging choice—but is it really? Not so fast. While glass is often seen as a sustainable alternative to plastic, there are hidden environmental and economic costs that make it a less-than-ideal solution for many companies, including Cloud 9 Naturally.

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Is Glass Packaging Really Recycled? The Harsh Reality

Glass is recyclable—but barely.

• Only 5% of landfill waste is glass, but most glass containers don’t actually get recycled.
•  Many North American glass recycling facilities are shutting down because recycling glass is unprofitable.
•  It’s cheaper to make new glass than to recycle existing glass (except for beer, wine, and liquor bottles, which have better recycling systems in place).

Transporting glass to recycling facilities is expensive due to weight, leading many cities across the U.S. and Canada to cancel their glass recycling programs.

Bottom line? Most glass ends up in landfills, not being recycled.

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The Surprising Truth About Sand: A Non-Renewable Resource

Did you know the world is running out of sand?

Glass is made from silica sand—a resource that is being extracted at alarming rates.

•  Sand is the second most exploited natural resource (after water).
•  The world uses 50 billion tonnes of sand every year.
•  Silica sand is essential for glass, concrete, electronics, and industrial uses.

 

Mining for silica sand causes massive environmental damage, including:

• Coastal erosion
• Ecosystem destruction
• Air pollution (causing severe lung diseases like silicosis)
• Water contamination

Many countries have already banned silica sand exports due to the devastating environmental impact.

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The Problem with Glass Packaging: More Than Just Recycling

Glass is heavy and costly to transport.
Shipping glass costs significantly more than plastic.
Breakable, requiring extra protective packaging (more waste).
Expensive to buy and store, raising product costs.

Example

• 100 plastic bottles = 10 kg
• 100 glass bottles = 44 kg
• Shipping costs are 4x higher for glass!

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Pros & Cons of Glass Packaging

✅ Pros

✔ Recyclable (in theory, but rarely in practice)
✔ No BPA or chemical leaching
✔ Aesthetically beautiful

❌ Cons

• Heavy = Higher fuel consumption & shipping costs
• Extracted from non-renewable silica sand
• More expensive than plastic or aluminum
• Requires extra packaging = More waste
• Breakable

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The Bottom Line: Why Cloud 9 Naturally Uses Multiple Packaging Options

There is no perfect solution for eco-friendly packaging. Glass, plastic, aluminum, and paper all have drawbacks.

We choose our packaging based on:
✅ Product type (e.g., breakable containers aren’t ideal for shower products)
✅ Environmental impact (minimizing carbon footprint where possible)
✅ Affordability (keeping products accessible for customers)
✅ Availability (supply chain issues impact packaging choices)

Until a truly sustainable packaging solution is available, we will continue to use a mix of packaging types based on what makes the most sense for each product.

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What Can You Do?

Recycle when possible!
Support brands that are transparent about packaging choices.
Stay informed about the hidden costs of different packaging materials.