Glass

Anti-MicrobialBeautyDEA SeriesEco-warriorFood & BeverageFood GradeFreezer SafeGlassInertLeak ProofMicrowave SafeMoisture BarrierOven SafeOxygen Barrier PackagingRecyclableTransparentWild Glass

WHAT WE SAY:

Glass has been used for millennia. Its natural origins, infinite recyclability, transparency, strength and inert nature means it is ideal to house food, store medicine, bring light to buildings and package cosmetics.

With glass recycled in practically all countries, the argument that its weight makes it more carbon intensive than virgin plastic is moot, especially with the exciting emergence of lightweight innovations and the rapid adoption of renewable energy for transportation. Premium in nature, glass is swiftly becoming a go-to material swap for prefill schemes. By specifying more recycled glass and elevating imperfection to a luxury status, designers have the power to move the market and improve the investment returns for recyclers. This is the true power of design.

Shards of glass / Source: Unsplash

WHAT IS GLASS?

Glass is an inorganic, solid and transparent material made from natural, abundant raw materials – sand, soda ash and limestone – melted at very high temperatures.
Touted for being virtually inert, impermeable and non-toxic, glass is a food-grade material that preserves taste and nutritional content.
If the composition of basic glass is altered, the material can also become flexible, antimicrobial – with the incorporation of silver compounds – and soluble, able to release medicines and nutrients at a precisely defined rate.
A fully recyclable material, glass can be recycled endlessly with no loss of quality or purity.
The modern glass container industry creates hundreds of bottles a minute, split between beverages, food, cosmetics, pharmaceuticals and others. Beverage packaging dominates, with wine bottles accounting for two-thirds of this sector.
Containers such as beer bottles can be washed and reused up to 25 times before needing to be recycled, as demonstrated by the Oregon Beverage Recycling Cooperative’s new refill beer bottle system. The non-profit is responsible for collecting and sorting all glass bottles across Oregon and has introduced a standardised bottle across the state’s breweries. The bottles are collected, washed and sent back to breweries to be refilled.
Lightweighting is the practice of reducing the thickness and therefore weight of glass, in turn reducing its carbon footprint throughout the supply chain.
According to Wrap, reducing glass wine bottle weight from 500 grams to 300 grams could save 30% of CO2 emissions per 750 millilitre bottle in packaging production and transportation. But lightweighting is not easy – and how light can we really go?

KEY PROPERTIES:

Anti-Microbial
Food Grade
Freezer Safe
Inert
Leak Proof
Microwave Safe
Moisture Barrier
Oven Safe
Oxygen Barrier
Recyclable
Transparent

INDUSTRY:

Beauty
Food & Beverage
Packaging

AVAILABILITY:

Mass Market

DIVE DEEPER:

Glassy materials have been used for millennia. It is generally believed that the first man-made glass appeared around 3500 BC in the form of glass beads in Egypt.
Worldwide, around 130 million tonnes of glass is produced annually – 48% of which is hollow or container glass. The market value of the global glass packaging industry is expected to reach USD 69.25 billion by 2027.
Heavy glass bottles have become more desirable for their premium quality, or to make a product seem more premium when it is not. This needs to change, but lightweighting has its challenges – namely the issue of fragility. According to Accolade Wines, the lowest currently achievable bottle weight for still wine, for example, is 330 grams.
Recycled glass content is more readily available than recycled plastic content, although rates need to be higher. According to Statista, the glass industry reported recycling around 27 million tonnes worldwide in 2018, accounting for 21% of total glass production that year. Container glass accounted for the highest recycling rates, with a global average of 32%.
Recycling rates naturally vary regionally – the US has a current recycling rate of roughly 33%, while Germany and Switzerland boast 90% recycling rates. It’s assumed that the recycling rate for container glass in China is still below 20%, whereas South Africa has achieved a 42% glass recycling rate, thanks to the implementation of over 4,000 bottle banks.
The use of recycled glass in the production of new glass products reduces energy consumption. In fact, when using a 65% portion of glass cullets, energy consumption can be reduced by up to 20%.
The use of recycled glass gives glass container packaging an ‘imperfect’ appearance, with no one container the exact same. This uniqueness of design has the power to turn the tide on the illusion that perfect is best, with imperfections being sought after for their ‘one of a kind’ positioning.

KEY FACTS:

130mn tns

of glass is produced annually

$69.25bn

The market value of the global glass packaging industry is expected to reach USD 69.25 billion by 2027

27mn tns

According to Statista, the glass industry reported recycling around 27 million tonnes worldwide in 2018

Key Questions to Ask:

How else can you reduce impact?

Being lightweight isn’t everything – how can we reduce CO2 in other ways? Many glass manufacturers have their own LCAs with scope 1-3. Ask to see them and push for carbon reduction through reuse, recycled content and renewable energy in production and transit.

Where will your product be consumed, and how will it be disposed of?

Glass is a much more sustainable material choice in markets with high recycling rates.

Can you minimise the use of coloured glass?

Its use – specifically black, dark blue, and heat-treated glass – reduces the recyclability of glass and the quality of recycled glass overall.

What decorative options are you applying to the glass?

Paper labels and direct glass printing should be prioritised as they do not contaminate the glass recycling process. Plastic and film labels, metallised inks, metal labels and full sleeves impact the recycling process and reduce recovery rates.

How can you protect lighter weight glass packs, especially without protective plastic packaging?

Turn to solutions such as Flexi-Hex – this innovative, paper-based solution uses concertina-style honeycomb cardboard sleeves to protect bottles in transit. For bulk and mass-market brands, Moulded Fibre top and bottom caps for bottles is a viable option.