Life Cycle Assessment of Drinks Packaging

Reducing plastic consumption and emissions associated with disposable packaging is a key challenge for large institutions. At Imperial College London, Taste Imperial began exploring alternatives to plastic water bottles, with aluminium cans initially assumed to be a lower-impact solution. Rather than making an immediate switch, the College chose to first investigate the environmental impacts of both options in more detail.

Imperial College London commissioned a life cycle assessment (LCA) to compare the environmental impact of PET water bottles and aluminium cans across their full lifespans. Two PhD students, supported by the Associate Provost (Sustainability), carried out the research and assessed the production, use and end-of-life impacts of each container type. The findings were presented to Taste Imperial and shared with other interested stakeholders across the College, prompting discussion and further lines of enquiry.

The research demonstrated that aluminium cans have a higher overall environmental impact across their lifetime than PET bottles. As a result, switching from PET bottles to aluminium cans would not represent a lower-impact choice in this context.

Beyond the immediate findings, the project demonstrated the value of evidence-based decision-making. By using rigorous research to inform operational choices, Imperial College London reinforced a collaborative and transparent approach to sustainability, showing how academic expertise can directly support practical action and more informed environmental decisions across the institution.