Reusing glass bottles in Italy: A life cycle assessment evaluation

Abstract Re-use of packaging items plays a key role in the achievement of sustainable management of resources, one of the key aims of the circular economy concept. In this study, the environmental impacts of the life cycle of glass bottles used for mineral water have been assessed as a function of the number of uses (the so-called “rotations”) by applying the life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology. The research is part of a wider project on the evaluation of the environmental impacts and benefits associated with the re-use of packaging in Italy. The study has been performed to identify the contribution of the reconditioning process to the total impacts of the life cycle of reusable glass bottles and to compare the environmental performances of this system with those of a system based on single-use bottles. The production of the bottles, their washing and end of life have been included in the system boundaries, as well as the logistic for the delivery to the final user (that differs among the reusable and single-use bottles-based systems). The study was built up mainly on primary data acquired through a detailed inventory questionnaire delivered to some Italian mineral water companies that use reusable glass bottles, and complemented by field visits to two reconditioning plants.