How we weigh.

Every product in the archive is broken down into its component parts — bottle, cap, pump, label, adhesive — and weighed against industry-standard container measurements. Recyclability is estimated using national MRF acceptance rates for the polymer involved. Decomposition windows are taken from peer-reviewed environmental literature on polymer persistence.

Weights are averages, not single-brand audits. A specific product on your shelf may differ by ±15%. Material chemistry, color additives, and label adhesives often determine recyclability more than the polymer itself.

Production footprint

Each item also carries an estimate of the water and electricity required to manufacture the packaging — not to use the product. We apply commodity-resin LCA averages of roughly 3 litres of water and 0.012 kWh of electricity per gram of PET, HDPE, or PP, plus a small fixed overhead for filling and labelling. Figures are per unit, not per use, and are intended as order-of-magnitude estimates.

Source: industry container averages, public packaging audits, and Franklin Associates / Ellen MacArthur Foundation LCA datasets.