Speaker: Nikolai Czech

Company: Frike Group AG

Title: Aerosols – the Most Sustainable Packaging? We Think Yes.

Language: English

Abstract: Aerosols have always offered the consumer a convenient product delivery that best fits their needs. A bad aura however continues to sway along with the term - aerosol. Having long corrected the mistaken choice of chlorofluorocarbon propellants more than a half a century ago, it is about time to review the merits of the packaging in the context of sustainability.

Learn about the aerosol basics. Pressurized containers that are air-tight, have long shelf-lives, no period after opening and hence create less waste. Pressure in most aerosols is achieved using liquefied gases, which also act as solvents. Quite green solvents when considering modern aspects of green chemistry. For example, if we dissolve a sticky hair fixating polymer paste in a liquified gas or ethanol and consider its VOC impact, the results may surprise you.

The simple answer - density. Liquefied gases can even add to the circular economy by using currently non-recyclable waste. With a CO2 footprint (cradle-to-gate) of 0.7-1.0 kg CO2/kg DME the product performs slightly better than bioethanol. If VOCs are out of question, compressed gases with almost zero environmental impact perform well using new packaging developments.

Still not convinced? Consider the advantages of metal packaging. A prime example of circular economy; recycles forever, scores the highest in material circularity in Europe; 75% ever produced is still in circulation and energy consumption is lowered in can production with post-consumer recycled (PCR) aluminum. In total, 6.5 tons of CO2 can be saved per ton aluminum produced.

Overall, wrong formulations and design can make aerosols inherently unsustainable. But with the right choice of raw materials and packaging components, aerosols should not be disregarded as a sustainable packaging choice, just because of an outdated bad image. We think it is time to forgive and develop your new sustainable aerosol.