Why Are My MethylPro Supplements in Glass Bottles?
We are always thinking about impact. Our impact on you and your health, and our impact on Earth and its health. You may notice that all of your MethylPro products arrive in glass bottles. This is different from the plastic containers our competitors commonly use. Although amber glass is beautiful, this choice is not cosmetic. We package our supplements in glass bottles to benefit your health and the health of our environment.
Here we will explain a few of the reasons MethylPro is proud to package our supplements in glass bottles. We will also point out other choices we make to benefit environmental sustainability.
Are glass bottles better for your health?
Manufacturers make plastic bottles from a variety of different chemicals. Some of these are endocrine disruptors such as bisphenol-A (BPA) and phthalates. Ordinary storage factors like heat and time can cause the leaching of these chemicals into the stored product. This means that when you consume what’s inside the bottle, you consume a little bit of the bottle too.
Some of these chemicals haven’t been around long enough for us to know the long-term consequences of ingestion. But, for some of these chemicals, we know that ingestion is related to negative effects on the brain, interference with hormones, and the health of our reproductive systems, and can even create life-threatening issues [1-4].
In contrast, glass is nonporous and impermeable. It does not chemically interact with, or leach into the products kept inside [5]. This maintains the taste and aroma of the stored products but also protects their integrity and strength during storage. It protects your body from ingesting anything that isn’t part of the formula.
Why amber glass vs plastic?
There are some supplement ingredients and nutrients that are light-sensitive. This means that they are more likely to change or degrade when exposed to UV rays. Opaque plastic containers can protect supplements from light. However, the potential drawbacks to ingesting products stored in plastic make this a less attractive option.
Although glass is transparent, adding color can help protect contents from UV rays. While green tint adds some protection and cobalt blue is more protective, it is amber glass that adds the highest level of UV protection to your container while still allowing you to see the number of capsules left inside [6].
Is glass better for the environment?
This is probably the most important argument for choosing glass over plastic. While both glass and some plastics are technically “recyclable”, you can recycle glass bottles into new glass bottles. This process can repeat endlessly without degrading or losing integrity, while plastics cannot. With plastic, you can only “downcycle” from bottles and containers into a few materials like carpet padding or plastic lumber. Once these products become waste, you cannot recycle them again.
On top of that, the US used to send the bulk of our plastic recyclables to China for processing. But, China has stopped taking most US shipments of waste like this. So, much more plastic is ending up in US landfills without hope of being recycled in the future.
It has been estimated that only about 9% of plastic ends up getting recycled, and again, it’s not true recycling, but downcycling. Every plastic container, package, or bottle we buy is made of new plastic [5].
Glass recycling rates in the US are a little better. Approximately 33% of glass is actually recycled, and there is potential for more positive change. Other countries, such as Switzerland and Germany, have glass recycling rates as high as 90% because glass is a truly recyclable material [5].
Environmental Issues Beyond Recycling
One problem with the constant manufacturing of new plastics is the environmental destruction that accompanies drilling for petroleum for plastic products. Drilling for oil can result in oil spills. Famously, oil spills contaminate surrounding soils and water, and have the potential to cause horrendous fires and explosions. They leave irreparable damage to the ecosystems drilled through, and can negatively impact the health of the people that inhabit those areas.
Then there is the carbon footprint of manufacturing plastic. Not only do plastic products emit CO2, (the emissions from plastic in 2015 were equivalent to nearly 1.8 billion metric tons of CO2), but the factories that are used to create plastic are also likely to run on fossil fuels and produce emissions [5].
Toxic chemicals from plastic containers are of concern to our individual health, as they leach into our food, drinks, and supplements. However, a greater, later concern is the fact that plastic products (very slowly) degrade in landfills or soil wherever they land. As they degrade, those same toxic chemicals leach into the environment as microplastics, which pollute our waterways, soil, and the air we breathe [5]. Glass, on the other hand, will never leach toxic chemicals into the soil, water, or air, even if it doesn’t make it into recycling.
As a non-degrading material, glass containers are often better for repurposing around the house too, before you recycle them. Even small vitamin bottles can fulfill another purpose when empty. Try using them as travel-sized containers for beauty products in your carry-on luggage. Or, as a bud vase on the window sill for a vintage look.
Environmental Efforts Beyond Glass Bottles
As modern culture becomes more environmentally and health-conscious, we are making great strides in packaging materials that respect these changing values. At MethylPro, we are doing our best to stay abreast of possible packaging options for the future, while continuing to fulfill the needs of our customers with the consistency they trust.
To further reduce our plastic use, we have decided to stop shrink-wrapping a plastic sleeve around the outside of our supplement bottles. Your products are still heat-sealed beneath the cap to prevent contamination or tampering, but you will begin to notice the loss of tear-away plastic as we move towards this more environmentally friendly sealing procedure.
When you open a shipment from us, you will notice any padding in the box is made of biodegradable packaging materials, never Styrofoam.
It’s important to us that you know we are always thinking of ways to do better. We will continue to do our best to support you, your health, and the health of our Earth as our company grows and evolves with our changing culture.
References:
- http://www.environmentalhealthnews.org/ehs/news/2014/jul/bpa-mammary-glands.
- http://www.scientificamerican.com/article/bpa-exposure-linked-to-prostate-cancer/.
- http://web.archive.org/web/20100524160032/http://www.oehha.org/prop65/prop65_list/files/P65single040210.pdf
- https://www.nature.com/articles/s41598-017-10813-0
- https://www.goingzerowaste.com/blog/which-is-better-for-the-environment-glass-or-plastic
- https://www.airseacontainers.com/blog/the-science-behind-amber-glass-how-these-bottles-protect-liquids/