Glass vs. plastic: is it as simple as good vs bad?

The environmental issues we face aren’t simple, yet we seek the comfort of simplistic answers in resolving them. Here’s how we approached the issue at Skandinavisk.

Why our candle collections use glass

We chose glass for our new candle collection because it has a thicker base for greater stability and also to reduce the risk of heat transfer from a low-burning candle to the surface.

We chose plastic for our body collection because it protects our cosmetic formulae, but it also won’t smash if dropped on the kitchen or bathroom floor where people are often barefoot. Unlike glass.

Our new glass is made mainly of sand, limestone and 20-30% recycled materials. It’s fired at extremely high temperatures, and it weighs about a third of a kilo. Or to our American friends; just over 12 ounces.

We also use plant-based plastic

Our new plastic is made from plants — or more specifically, replanted sugar cane. Unlike plastic from oil, it does not have an incremental cost of extraction. And it weighs less than a tenth of our glass.

Because our glass is so heavy, we choose to produce it here in the European Union, and then we transport it by road to reduce transport emissions.

Because we use so little bioplastic, we choose to order it in its raw form and ship it in from overseas, where it is then created as a bottle here in Denmark, where our lotions and washes are poured in at the exact same facility.

Thanks to the work of the Danish Technological Institute we’ve been able to calculate the footprint of our new glass and our new plastic. And the truth is, our glass has a far higher environmental footprint than our plastic. And then main reason is because we use far more materials to produce our glass. But the footprint is not just restricted to production.

Where you come in

Aware of our footprint, we design our glass to encourage people to reuse it — for decoration, for storage, or for tea lights. And also being very aware of our footprint with plastic, and the sensitivity around this material, we design our bioplastic to be just as recyclable as any normal plastic, so that you can place it in your own recycling container.

Until we come up with refills for both, this is about as far as we’ve got. But the lesson for us is that every decision we make has a consequence. And the more you learn, the more you can take steps to leaving a lighter footprint.