The future of glass

Since Dairy Crest's announcement at the end of last year that it will be using only plastic bottles from 2016, there has been some speculation over what the future may hold for the glass industry. Fiacre O'Donnell, marketing manager for Encirc Glass, looks at how the glass industry is performing and why it is still one of the most sustainable options.

In September 2014 Dairy Crest announced that it would be introducing plastic milk bottles, sparking fears that the future of all glass containers might be in decline.
However, while the traditional milk bottle may become a thing of the past, this does not reflect the glass industry as a whole. Indeed, market in the UK recorded increased production figures of 2.8% in the first six months of 2014, and the 2014 edition of 'Global Container Glass Market' described it as "thriving", due to increased consumer demand for "pure, green and sustainable food and beverage packaging".

The healthy option
This sentiment is echoed by research from the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE), which suggests that health and safety concerns are driving the resurgence of glass packaging among European consumers, with 87% identifying it as their preferred packaging choice. But just how much of a health benefit can glass offer?
Glass is the only packaging material that does not interact chemically with its contents, and it's impenetrable to external contamination. Not only does this mean consumers are getting food and drinks that are free from leaked substances, but the product and its taste are also better preserved.
In comparison, materials such as PET, or aluminium, can interact with their contents, either by absorbing small amounts of flavour, or by releasing small amounts of unwanted chemicals into them. This can have an adverse effect on quality, which can in turn affect taste.
Further support for the glass industry is being garnered by various international governments, including India's, which is officially recognising the health benefits that glass's inert nature offers, following recommendations from an expert panel that examined the health hazards of using PET bottles to package medicines. As a result, from April this year, manufacturers of pharmaceutical products in India will be banned from using PET as a primary packaging material for liquid oral drugs intended for paediatric and geriatric patients, pregnant women and women in the reproductive age group.

The sustainable option
When it comes to the environment, the ongoing debate surrounding the circular economy connected to packaging demonstrates that, while it is still considered detrimental to many non-glass packaging businesses, it is something the glass industry has been doing very well, due to effective bottle-to-bottle, closed-loop recycling.
While the weight of the final products and associated transportation costs may be cited as a reason to choose plastics, it is imperative that the industry considers the entire lifecycle of a container, and the environmental consequences of the manufacturing methods required to create it, rather than simply looking at one area of the process.
For example, glass (unlike plastics) is a cradle-to-cradle material, so a bottle made from can be totally recycled indefinitely, with no loss of quality.
In addition, using 1t of recycled glass saves 1.2t of virgin raw materials and 60% CO2. With more than 70% of all glass bottles collected for recycling ever year, the glass industry quickly becomes incredibly sustainable.
The sector is also continually working to ensure the products it makes are as environmentally friendly as possible. For example, glass bottles today are 30% lighter than they were two decades ago, which has prevented thousands of tons of CO2 from being released into the environment, used fewer raw materials and reduced the amount of waste produced during the manufacturing process.
The results of the FEVE report are a positive sign for the glass industry, but it's up to us to ensure that our procedures are as sustainable as can be. That way, we're not just giving our customers and their consumers a product that's environmentally friendly, but one that has been made in the most environmentally friendly way.