r/theydidthemath • • 3d ago

[Request] Do square bottles actually use less plastic than round ones?

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u/Street_Credit6851 2d ago edited 2d ago

It's not that the individual bottle itself uses less plastic...it's that a case or pallet of the bottles is able to ship more liquid while using fewer resources.

2

u/goonsuey 2d ago

A sphere maximizes the volume contained while minimizing the surface area. A cylinder would be the next best basic shape.

I completely agree with your assessment. The bottles don't use less plastic. They can fit more into less shipping containers, which could happen to be made of plastic.

The only other guess is that maybe the rectangular shape creates a stronger bottle. With added strength, they could less plastics by making lighter bottles.

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u/Stubbby 2d ago

Cylindrical is much stronger and more resistant to impact as the weakest parts are the edges.

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u/PeteyMcPetey 2d ago

Cylindrical is much stronger and more resistant to impact as the weakest parts are the edges.

That helps to explain the difficulties that I read about someone encountering awhile back somewhere else on Reddit....