Family-owned spirits company, Bacardi has successfully completed the world’s first commercial production of a glass spirits bottle fueled by hydrogen in a trial that took place in December 2023.
Bacardi worked with premium glassmaker, Hrastnik1860, to pioneer new technology that powered a glass furnace with hydrogen as its primary energy source and in doing so cut the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions typically produced as a byproduct of glass bottle production.
The bottle, which for the purposes of the trial was the iconic ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur bottle, is identical in appearance to the bottle produced using traditional methods and will reach bars and stores in the coming weeks.
Over the course of the trial, which produced 150,000 of the brand’s 70 cl glass bottles, hydrogen contributed more than 60 % of the fuel for the glass furnace, cutting GHG emissions by more than 30 %.
To achieve its ambition of becoming the most environmentally responsible global spirits company, Bacardi is continuously investing in new innovations and exploring opportunities to use pioneering new technology to help achieve its ultimate goal of Net Zero.
About Hrastnik1860
Hrastnik1860, a member of the Vaider Group, has more than 160 years of expertise in glass and is a global partner in the development and manufacturing of world-class engineered glass products. The company is known for creating technically demanding bottles, primarily for the spirits industry, and is a full-service solution partner—from R&D and consulting to innovative design, prototyping, manufacturing, decoration, and delivery. Hrastnik1860’s products are acclaimed for their perfect crystal shine and are entirely free of heavy metals. They range from traditional designs to innovative solutions that have won many prestigious awards.
FEVE – the European Container Glass Federation elected its Presidency team for the 2023-2025 term of office at its Annual General Assembly on Thursday 15th June.
Martin Petersson, CEO Ardagh Glass Packaging – Europe: one of the world’s leading glass packaging manufacturers – has been elected President of the EU container glass federation.
Commenting on his appointment, Mr Petersson said: “I am honoured to take up this important role and look forward to contributing to FEVE’s work in collaboration with FEVE members, staff, and the national associations. We have challenging and exciting times ahead of us, but we are in a strong position to reach our sustainability goals and strengthen our industry’s Circular Economy model.
He added: “Glass is a material that has unique inherent sustainability benefits: it is a permanent material, endlessly recycled in a closed loop and it is inert, meaning that it protects the quality of products, it preserves their taste, and guarantees safety for consumers’ health. It is also uniquely versatile in adding value and premium positioning to products. However, all these qualities are often taken for granted in the marketplace. We need to be more proactive in defending and promoting glass.”
Martin Petersson succeeds Vitaliano Torno, O-I Glass President Business Operations & O-I Europe, who led the association for the previous two years. “Vitaliano did a great job in navigating the federation through recent years, marked by the global pandemic and unforeseeable market dynamics, but he also managed to maintain a united industry in shaping a common vision to face the major challenge of climate neutrality”, commented Petersson.
The FEVE members also elected Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman of the Board of Verallia, as Vice-President. Mr Giannuzzi commented: “Our industry is at a crucial crossroad on the path to the future. We should not be afraid to invest in the sustainability assets of our business model to secure our future as packaging leaders. I am looking forward to supporting Martin and the sector over the next two years in the drive to address climate change and the sustainability agenda.”
Acquisition will expand wine portfolio in France, including Bordeaux.
Berlin Packaging, the world’s largest Hybrid Packaging Supplier®, announced the acquisition of Gerfran SAS, a family-owned supplier of glass packaging specializing in the wine and beverage end markets.
Founded in 1984 and acquired by Lionel Fruh in 2008, Gerfran is a unique player in the Aquitaine region of France. Headquartered in La Réole, the company specializes in the sale of wine bottles with an emphasis on Bordeaux bottles and serves wine producers of all sizes, from small vineyards to large estates. In addition to wine bottles, the company also sells bottles and jars for beer, spirits, fruit juices, and food.
With warehouses across the southwest of France, Gerfran has strong relationships with its customers, who benefit from the company’s value-added services and turnkey solutions.
Following completion of all pending transactions, Gerfran will be the 18th acquisition by Berlin Packaging in EMEA (Europe, Middle East, and Africa) since 2016 and the 8th acquisition in EMEA in 2021.
All employees and locations for this acquisition will be retained.
O-I Glass, Inc. and Germany’s Krones AG signed a strategic collaboration agreement that aims to elevate glass by innovating together and to jointly create solutions for the growing glass market.
“For O-I, glass is the preferred packaging solution in a world that increasingly values health, premium products and the environment. Not only does it maintain the integrity of the products and protects the environment, as customers and consumers intend, but it also offers magnificent opportunities for establishing brands and implementing sustainable solutions,” explains Andres Lopez, President and CEO at O-I. “This agreement is the first step that O-I and Krones are taking together in order to offer clients completely integrated, end-to-end solutions in the future.”
Focus areas include improvements in glass filling and packaging line speed and efficiency; enhanced agility and flexibility of responding to market trends; development of innovative and sustainable glass systems; and advancements in digital solutions such as direct-to-glass digital printing technology.
“In production facilities all over the world, the products of O-I and Krones are already encountering each other. So it was absolutely logical to improve still further the compatibility of Krones’ complete lines and the glass containers from O-I,” adds Christoph Klenk, CEO of Krones AG.
With this agreement, the two companies are combining O-I’s specialized knowledge of glass with Krones’ leading competence in manufacturing machines and filling lines for the food and beverage industries.
The acquisition strengthens the glass packaging offer throughout Northern Europe
Berlin Packaging, leader in the supply of glass, plastic and metal containers and closures, acquired on 6th October Vinkova B.V., important supplier of food products and drink glass packaging solutions, based in Bussum, the Netherlands. With more than 50 years of experience, Vinkova offers a huge range of tailored solutions and products to a large customer base on the Dutch market, boasting solid industry know-how and strong relations with some of Europe’s most important glass producers.
The strategic joining of Vinkova is, for Berlin Packaging, the completion of the range offered on the Dutch market, supplementing the innovative plastic and metal solutions and innovative closures already marketed on the territory since 2019.
Berlin Packaging is a global player supplying packaging solutions and services to customers of all types, across the globe, in all industrial sectors. The company is based in North America, where it has been operating since 1898, and boasts a global footprint that is expanding rapidly, with more than 130 offices and warehouses worldwide.
Vinkova is the eighth acquisition to be made in Europe since 2016. Customers and suppliers of both companies will benefit significantly from this acquisition and the combined operations of Europe’s most important packaging distributor.
Starting today, Vinkova’s customers can enjoy the exclusive design and innovation services guaranteed by Bruni Glass Innovation Center in Italy and by the One Eleven Studio in the United States of America.
Fully in line with the Berlin Packaging acquisitions strategy, the workforce and structure of Vinkova will not change in any way: all employees will remain with the company, as confirmation of the growth and development objectives in Europe.
For the first time ever, European container glass manufacturers come together to build the first large scale hybrid electric furnace to run on 80 % green electricity.
The ‘Furnace of the Future’ is a fundamental milestone in the industry’s decarbonisation journey towards climate-neutral glass packaging. It will be the first large-scale hybrid oxy-fuel furnace to run on 80 % renewable electricity in the world. It will replace current fossil-fuel energy sources and cut CO2 emissions by 50 %.
For the very first time, the industry has adopted a collaborative approach where 20 glass container producers have mobilised resources to work on and fund a pilot project to prove the concept.
We are extremely proud to announce this joint-industry project”, comments Michel Giannuzzi, President of FEVE. “The hybrid technology is a step-change in the way we produce and will enable us to significantly reduce the carbon footprint of glass packaging production. The move marks an important milestone for the glass sector in implementing our decarbonisation strategy”.
Ardagh Group – the second largest glass packaging manufacturer in the world – has volunteered to build the furnace in Germany. It will be built in 2022, with an assessment of first results planned for 2023. The industry already works with electric furnaces in several of its 150 glass manufacturing plants across Europe, but they are small scale and exclusively used to produce flint (colourless) glass with virgin raw materials, therefore using very little or no recycled glass content. With this new technology, the industry will be able to produce more than 300 tonnes per day of any glass colour, using high levels of recycled glass.
“With this new technology we are embarking on the journey to climate-neutral glass packaging, and ensuring the long-term sustainability of manufacturing”, states Martin Petersson, CEO of Ardagh Group, Glass Europe. “We aim to demonstrate the viability of electric melting on a commercial scale, which would revolutionise the consumer glass packaging market”.
Bringing the ‘Furnace of the Future’ to life is an extremely ambitious project requiring significant financial and human resources and a wide range of expertise. For this reason, the industry has committed to work together. By adopting a sectoral approach, it also intends to gain the support of the European Commission through the ETS Finance for Innovation Fund Programme. Despite its key importance, this project is not the only one the industry is working on. Other pathways towards clean production technologies and climate-neutral glass packaging are already implemented and others are also being explored.
FEVE – the European Container Glass Federation has elected its executive team for the 2019-2021 term of office at its Annual General Assembly held in Brussels.
Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Verallia Group – one of Europe’s leading glass packaging manufacturers for the food and beverage sector, has been elected as President of the association, succeeding Johan Gorter, CEO of Ardagh Glass Europe. Commenting on his new role, Mr Giannuzzi said: “Our industry has a unique opportunity right now: as packaging is under scrutiny by consumers for its sustainability and healthy credentials. The glass industry is perfectly positioned to respond to customer and regulatory requirements leveraging the benefits of the Circular Economy”.
Today, some 80 billion bottles, jars and flacons are supplied annually to the global food and beverage industry as well as to fragrance, cosmetics and pharma markets. Glass packaging is easily and infinitely recyclable. In the last fifteen years, glass recycling has increased by 139 % throughout Europe. Some 1.5 million bottle banks are available across the region and an average of 74 % of Europe’s glass is collected for recycling, demonstrating the success of the dedicated glass recycling scheme introduced in Europe in the 1970s. These numbers also underline the commitment of the glass industry to attain aggressive recycling rates.
“Mr Giannuzzi added. “As we move towards a more sustainable future, we have a great opportunity to continue innovating glass production. We are determined to further reduce our industry’s environmental footprint, increase quantity and quality of recycled glass, and continue to design new packaging solutions that provide value to our customers and their brands”. He concluded: “In my role as President, building on the excellent job done by my colleague Johan Gorter, I want to convey enthusiasm and energy, and further promote sustainability goals, technology innovation, customer proximity and consumer engagement”.
The industry invests every year at least than €600 million in its 160 manufacturing plants and research facilities across Europe to modernize production, further reduce emissions, increase recycled content and reduce weight of the glass containers(1). Today, glass containers are on average 30 % lighter than 20 years ago, while maintaining and even improving their product qualities, recyclability, and innovative design.
In addition, Vitaliano Torno, President of O-I Europe, has been elected Vice-President of FEVE. He said: “Our customers thrive on glass as the most sustainable packaging solution. Led by the knowledge and ambition of our industry’s employees, we are innovating to help our customers build their precious and renowned brands and become valued partners as well as sustainable producers. I am determined to move the glass industry forward and promote the benefits of glass.”
The industry is also continuously increasing its communication efforts to inform and educate consumers, regulators and other stakeholders about the numerous benefits of glass packaging, and the fundamental role of packaging in protecting end-consumer products. The Friends of Glass platform on www.friendsofglass.com reaches out to millions of consumers around the Globe.
(1) See the E&Y report “Environmental, social and economic contribution of the Container Glass sector in Europe” – February 2015.
Latest industry data on glass recycling confirms that over 12 million tons of glass bottles and jars are collected and recycled in Europe, with an average glass recycling rate in the EU28 of 74 %(1). Glass remains the best performing food grade closed loop in the world. The latest industry data have a two-year time lag dating from 2016.
This figure should be set to rise. With the Circular Economy now at the forefront of the political agenda, EU Member States have committed to ambitious targets on municipal waste reduction and glass packaging recycling. This signals a renewed investment in separate collection for glass packaging in the coming years, which will engage consumers, municipalities, Extended Producer Responsibility schemes, recyclers and manufacturers in a collaborative effort to collect, sort and treat the glass that is currently leaking from the system.
“As an industry we commit to actually recycle all collected glass of sufficient quality in the closed loop. An estimated 90 % of what is collected goes into creating new bottles from old ones, offering brands and consumers a food grade quality recycled material. Today, recycled glass is our most important raw material, which brings us major environmental benefits, and energy savings”, commented Adeline Farrelly, FEVE Secretary General.
Our recent study on glass packaging recycling(2) demonstrates that countries such as Austria and Sweden have gone beyond 90 % collection for recycling rates by installing bottle bank systems and investing in consumer awareness. Tailored solutions will need to be found locally, but separating glass from the other materials is the best investment for public authorities to meet the new glass recycling targets. Our recent consumer research suggests that particularly for millennials, environmental credentials drive their product choice, and that the take-back culture for glass packaging is very strong where there is bottle bank infrastructure in place(3).
“Consumers have a strong connection with glass packaging, which is for them more than just a packaging”, she continued. “Over ten years ago, the industry decided to invest in consumer communications to raise awareness about the importance of glass recycling and the other key assets of glass packaging. We want to help bridge the collection gap, but clearly cannot do so on our own. Efforts across the value chain are needed.”
The average 74 % EU glass collection for recycling rate masks a variety of situations between countries. If we look at performance rates, on the one side, we find countries in the ‘Over 90 %’ top league: Belgium, Finland, Austria, Sweden and Slovenia where separate collection schemes for glass perform very well and provide a high quality secondary raw material for the industry. On the opposite side we find countries in the ’Under 40 %’ league: Greece, Hungary, Slovak Republic, Malta, Romania where the collection culture and, consequently the glass collection schemes have important potential for growth. Looking at overall volumes of glass collected, the picture in larger countries such as France, Italy, the UK, Poland or Spain is different. In conclusion, each country is different and will need its own focused and tailored strategy to ensure top class glass recycling. In conclusion, each country is different and will need its own focused and tailored strategy to ensure top class glass recycling.
(1) – See FEVE Recycling Statistics published on the FEVE website www.feve.org
(2) – See https://feve.org/study-on-impact-assessment-of-deposit-return-schemes
(3) – See http://content.presspage.com/uploads/1081/friendsofglass-reportonpackaging-2017.pdf?10000
UPM Raflatac’s Vanish™ PCR with recycled content face and liner a global first for clear film labeling
UPM Raflatac is boldly taking a leap forward in its promise to label a smarter future. Its new sustainable Vanish™ PCR line of ultra-thin clear film labels are now available in the EMEIA region. Featuring 90 percent recycled content face and liners, these “no-label” look labels will allow brand owners to increase their sustainability without sacrificing performance!
More and more iconic global brands are setting ambitious sustainability targets for their packaging materials. Vanish PCR is the only clear-on-clear labeling solution on the market that incorporates recycled content. Suitable for glass, clear PET or metal containers with a functional barrier, these labels are now available worldwide. They are ideal for any brand in the home and personal care, beverage or food segments in need of clear label materials. Best of all, the clarity and performance are equal to any standard clear-on-clear construction.
Beatson Clark’s flexible service and centuries of experience proved to be the winning formula for premium soft drinks company Eager Drinks.
The glass manufacturer based in South Yorkshire has just finished its production run for over 200,000 new and unique glass bottles for Eager Drinks’ new mixer range – Cold Brew Tonics.
Eager, founded in 2007, approached Beatson Clark last year to help them package their first glass bottle drinks range. All of Eager’s other soft drinks, including its signature cloudy apple juice, are packaged using cardboard.
To ensure the success of the new range in a competitive market, founder of Eager Drinks Ed Rigg knew the look and feel of the bottle was imperative to its longevity in the soft drinks market.
“Owing to the fact that Cold Brew Tonics is our first range packaged using glass, we had strict criteria for its look, feel and quality to ensure it was in keeping with our brand and commitment on sustainability,” said Ed.
“We wanted a bottle which used recycled glass in some way and wanted it to look contemporary and modern yet traditional to the touch. We didn’t want an off-the-shelf design. We wanted a bottle which was going to make an impression in a competitive market.
“Beaton Clark’s approach matched our vision. In terms of flexibility, service and quality, they win every time compared to competitors in the UK and abroad.”
Working closely with Eager Drinks, Beatson Clark designed and produced a unique 200ml white flint glass bottle. The brief was to produce a container which looked modern and contemporary but had a traditional and vintage feel to it.
The container is heavier than a standard bottle to give a high-quality, premium feel in line with its intended consumer market. The bottle is embossed around the shoulder with the words ’EAGER’ and around the base with the words ‘PRODUCED IN SMALL BATCHES’.
Jonathan Clark, Account Manager at Beatson Clark, commented: “It’s been a pleasure to work with the Eager team from concept right through to production. As Ed has found out, what we offer in terms of service is only matched by the quality of the product we make.
“For an established drinks company entering the competitive mixer market for the first time, the packaging is just as important as the quality of what’s inside. The drinks are different to anything else on the market owing to the unique production process, and the packaging reflects that.”
Each flavour in the range – Tonic, Light Tonic, Smoked Tonic, Lemonade, Ginger Beer, Artisan Lemonade and Club Soda – is produced by packing bunches of dried fruit peel into hessian bags and placing the oil-rich rinds in cold water for 24 hours before the product is carbonated.
“Each mixer has a purer and deeper flavour than any other mixer drink on the market, so we wanted to make sure the taste is preserved for as long as possible. That’s why we chose glass, because it does that better than any other form of packaging and it’s 100 per cent recyclable,” said Ed.
The premium, high-end range was launched last month and is already on sale in bars, hotels and restaurants across the country.
100 % of Coca-Cola Amatil packaging to be recyclable by 2025, including bottles, cans, plastic wrap, glass and cardboard
Australian beverages manufacturer Coca-Cola Amatil announced a commitment for 100 per cent of its Australian packaging to be recyclable by 2025, including all bottles, cans, plastic wrap, glass and cardboard. The company will also work towards phasing out unnecessary single-use packaging through improved design, innovation or the use of recycled alternatives.
Group Managing Director Alison Watkins said the commitments were part of the National Packaging Targets announced by Federal Environment Minister, the Hon Melissa Price MP.
“As a beverages manufacturer, we’re serious about playing our part in addressing recycling,” Ms Watkins said.
“We’ve heard the community message loud and clear – that unnecessary packaging is unacceptable and we all need to work together to reduce the amount entering litter streams, the environment and the oceans.
“The National Packaging Targets aim to make a substantive improvement in packaging waste reduction, which is why we’re proud to be a founding supporter and to champion their implementation by industry.”
Australia’s 2025 National Packaging Targets are:
- 100 % of all Australia’s packaging will be reusable, recyclable or compostable by 2025 or earlier
- 70 % of Australia’s plastic packaging will be recycled or composted by 2025
- 30 % average recycled content will be included across all packaging by 2025
- Problematic and unnecessary single-use plastic packaging will be phased out through design, innovation or introduction of alternatives
Earlier this year the Mount Franklin 600 ml bottle was launched using 100 % recycled content, with trials under way on reaching an average 50 per cent recycled content across the Australian portfolio by 2020.
Ms Watkins said the Targets were in addition to existing commitments on plastics and packaging reduction, including the aspiration of “World Without Waste” – a Coca-Cola Company goal to collect and recycle one bottle or can for every one produced, worldwide, by 2030.
Amatil and brand partner and shareholder The Coca-Cola Company is also developing sustainable packaging goals to increase the recycled content in plastic bottles and support recycling collection in Australia. Recognising the threat of marine plastic litter, The Coca-Cola Company this week joined governments and industry leaders to sign onto the Ocean Plastics Charter. Originally adopted at the 2018 G7 Summit, the Ocean Plastics Charter calls on governments, industry and the public to rethink their relationship with plastics.
Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Verallia Group – one of Europe’s leading glass packaging manufacturers for the food and beverage sector – has been elected Vice-President of FEVE – the European Container Glass Federation – at its FEVE General Meeting in Rotterdam on June 15th.
“I am eager to put my experience at the service of this industry which has an unrivaled cultural heritage in Europe and a strong future ahead. Glass continues to be the packaging material of reference for many products despite competition.” says Michel Giannuzzi. “Our European industry association has a leadership role in federating forces towards circular economy”.
About Michel Giannuzzi
Starting from September 1, 2017, Michel Giannuzzi has been appointed as Chairman and Chief Executive officer (“CEO”) of the Verallia Group. Aged 53 years old, Michel Giannuzzi served as CEO of Tarkett, a worldwide leader of innovative flooring and sports surface solutions, from 2007 to 2017. During his tenure at Tarkett, Michel Giannuzzi pursued a profitable and sustainable growth strategy, which led to a successful IPO in 2013. Prior to that, Michel Giannuzzi held several leading positions within the Michelin Group and Valeo Group. He graduated from Ecole Polytechnique and Harvard Business School.
Water is an everyday necessity, associated with life, healthiness and purity. To sustain this image, water packaging should feature simple and recyclable design. Since the impact of plastic packaging on the environment is widely discussed, canned water brands have an important role to play to reduce packaged water’s impact on the environment, says leading data and analytics company GlobalData.
The company’s report ‘ForeSights: Canned Water’ explores the future potential of reusable/recyclable canned water as an alternative to the mainstream bottled products.
According to GlobalData’s Q1 2017 consumer survey, recyclability is the most important factor in environmentally friendly packaging, with 74 % of consumers globally finding it very or extremely important.
Efforts have been made by manufacturers to replace plastic in water bottles with biodegradable materials obtained from various natural sources, such as algae. But could aluminum offer a more straight-forward answer to the problem?
Consumers mostly want reusable containers to be easy to carry, open and close. Other on-the-go packaging benefit preferences include being easy to dispose, reduced carbon foot print and light weight. Only aluminum cans, of all the available water packaging types, fulfill these preferences.
Canned and boxed water have been used in the past for emergency situations, such as natural disasters, rather than commercially. However, a few independent brands, including Noah’s spring water from US-based Varni Brothers and CanO water in the UK, have appeared in the developed world, using aluminum cans and beverage cartons to create more sustainable and safe alternatives of the bottled water.
Aleksandrina Yotova, Associate Analyst at GlobalData, says: “Aluminum cans are the most sustainable beverage package, reportedly outperforming plastic and glass bottles, as well as beverage cartons. They have the highest recycling rate and more recycled content than the other options. Consumers understand the efficiency of aluminum packaging.
“Being lightweight, stackable, and strong, cans allow brands to package and transport more beverages using less material (by weight) than plastic and glass bottles. Since beverage-makers can ship aluminum cans more efficiently, they could make transportation, energy, and cost savings, which translates to a more affordable end product.”
Consumers who make efforts to recycle product packaging as much as possible are likely to see canned water as a viable alternative to bottled water due to its high level of recyclability. According to GlobalData’s 2016 Q3 global consumer survey, the highest ratio of active recyclers is found in North America (78 %) and Europe (66 %).
Yotova adds: “Canned water is a logical extension of the trend for healthy and sustainable living among younger consumers. There are opportunities for manufacturers to target the millennial generation, especially in the developed world, with simple but elegant designs. These consumers want to associate themselves with the good cause of keeping the environment clean.”
Latest industry data on glass recycling show that the average glass recycling rate in the EU28 is steady at 74 %. This means that over 11.6 million tons of glass bottles are collected, and recycled into food grade quality material for the production of new glass containers.
Countries such as Belgium, Slovenia or Sweden, with excellent separate collection systems, continue to outperform beyond 95 %. While glass stands alone as the most circular packaging solution, maintaining permanent quality even when recycled, the reality is that there is still an important collection gap to fill in many EU countries.
“Our industry is mobilized to fill the gap to 100 % EU glass recycling because recycled glass is our most important raw material”, commented Adeline Farrelly, FEVE Secretary General. “We hope the new packaging recycling targets will give the necessary boost to all EU countries to invest in closed loop glass collection.”
As pointed out at the Euractiv Event, real recycling is a balancing act between developing materials that are recyclable, and markets that are open to use recycled material. “More and more effort is being put at European level to use recycled material for new food packaging”, says Jean-Paul Judson, FEVE Public Affairs Manager. “Recycled glass is of food grade quality. It goes straight into new food or beverage containers. We want to engage with policymakers to make this model the reference”.
Strong production growth in 2016 represents a significant increase above the historic average growth rates for glass packaging
Glass packaging production in Europe grew by 2.9 % in volume (Tonnes) and by 2.1 % in unit terms in 2016 according to data published today by the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE)(1). The growth was driven by exports as well as continued demand for glass packaging in food and beverage segments in Europe. A total volume of 20.9 million tonnes or 75.9 billion units were produced in Europe for the EU and international food and beverage markets.
“The buoyant demand for glass is a strong signal of trust from customers in our industry and in glass packaging to help brands stand out on the shelves both in the European market and internationally,” says FEVE President Johan Gorter.
The strong performance in 2016 confirms the steady trend of the last 5 years. Since 2012, the industry has increased its production by 5.8 % in volume and 6.1 per cent in units.
Glass continues to be the reference packaging material for leading markets such as spirits, wines and beer, while it is increasingly gaining share in the food, water and dairy sectors. This is not only due to new consumption trends for local, organic and natural food, but also because of the positive image of glass packaging and the strong consumer trust in glass as their preferred packaging for environmental, health and taste preservation reasons. According to a recent survey(2), glass is consumers’ favourite packaging, with 1 in 2 Europeans saying they use more glass than three years ago and 75 % of Europeans view glass as the most environmentally friendly packaging.
“It is encouraging that consumers trust glass because of its sustainability credentials and because it best preserves the quality of their preferred products. As an industry, we are committed to making the inherent properties of glass more visible to our customers and to the final consumer” continues Johan Gorter.
(1)Production of container glass for food and beverages in the EU, Switzerland and Turkey based on direct industry production data from FEVE member companies compiled by Vivid Economics for FEVE.
(2)InSites Research 2016. View Summary report on the Friends of Glass platform.
