Glass - a nice change | General | Forum

Glass - a nice change

Glas - schöne Abwechslung

Dear Migros,

Are you considering packaging more of your products in glass containers? I'm not just talking about jam, but also drinks, sauces, yogurt, cottage cheese, etc.? It has now been proven what microplastics (unfortunately) do to our bodies.

I look forward to your feedback.

Kind regards
ErynPoppy

(Machine translation)

All replies (9)

Guest

Hello @ErynPoppy

Thank you very much for your message and your suggestion. Many factors always play a role in packaging decisions. I will be happy to pass on your input to our specialists for feedback and will let you know as soon as I have any news.

Kind regards

Karin

(Machine translation)

Guest

Dear @ErynPoppy

I have forwarded your request as promised. Our packaging specialists have reported the following back to me:

Microplastics end up in the environment in two different ways:

- Through cosmetic products (for example exfoliating products) which contain this microplastic. Microplastics cannot be adequately filtered out in the sewage treatment plant and thus end up in the environment. IMPORTANT: Migros is very aware of this specific problem and therefore refrains from using plastic particles in its own-brand exfoliating products and toothpastes.

- The plastic packaging, bags, etc. that are carelessly thrown away decompose

However, no microplastic particles are transferred from the packaging itself into the product. Microplastics that are ingested orally are excreted via the gastrointestinal tract and therefore do not remain in the body. According to the federal government, the health risk posed by microplastics in food and cosmetics is classified as low.

It is also important to know that good packaging has many different functions. It should:

-protect the product (longer shelf life and hygiene)
provide information (origin, ingredients, price, best-before date, etc. - at Migros, this should be in three languages where possible)
- present the product attractively
- be easy to transport and stack (so that we need as few trucks as possible for transportation)
- be as environmentally friendly and recyclable as possible

Migros pays great attention to the packaging of its products and to this end drew up a packaging guideline on sustainable packaging back in 2009. Under the motto "Avoid - Reduce - Recycle", this ensures that we continuously set ourselves ambitious targets for how we can optimize our packaging ecologically and thus better protect the environment.

Where possible, we use less packaging, use recycled materials or package our goods differently, for example in paper from sustainable sources (FSC paper) or bags instead of cans.
So that we know what impact our packaging has on the environment, we draw up life cycle assessments. These take into account the effects from the extraction of raw materials to the disposal of the packaging.

From an ecological point of view, glass packaging usually performs much worse than plastic packaging due to its much higher weight. Therefore, the increased use of glass containers is actually not as sensible from an ecological point of view as it seems at first glance.

I hope I have been able to help you with this information.

Best wishes and have a sunny Monday :)
Karin

(Machine translation)