Costs and CO2 emissions in reverse logistics of beverage packaging

A replacement of refillable beverage packaging by Non Refillable PolyEthylene Terephthalate (NR PET) beverage packaging will reduce logistical costs and give rise to environmental gains in reverse logistics. This is one of the results from the study that focuses on reverse logistics from different regions and for different kinds of beverage packaging in Norway. The logistical costs and environmental effects are studied in the chain of logistical activities involving grocery trade, grocery producers and the recycling industry. Calculations show that in a scenario where all refillable beverage packaging are replaced by NR PET, the logistical costs are more than halved. Also, CO2 emissions are reduced by 43%.