Glass packaging for beverages: modern and sustainable

Glass has been used as packaging for drinks for thousands of years. However, this is by no means an outdated, but rather a modern and sustainable type of packaging that scores highly in the regulations of the new German Packaging Act (VerpackG) and also enjoys a high level of acceptance among consumers.

Drinks in glass bottles are in demand - and the Rising demand.

This is shown by the figures from the current market statistics of the Bundesverband Glasindustrie e. V. (BV Glas) for the first half of 2018: sales in the beverage bottle segment showed a positive trend in the first half of 2018 with a Growth of 2.7 per cent compared to the same period last year.

Glass is almost inert, This means that there is practically no interaction between the contents and the packaging. It is the only material that can lay claim to this property. In addition, glass packaging fulfils the desire for Sustainability, regionality, safety and Health - Trends that are currently preoccupying many consumers and making them reach for products in glass.

Mineral water in glass bottles: Rising demand

This trend can be seen in the beverage bottle segment for „non-alcoholic beverages (water, milk and juice)“: Sales grew significantly in the first half of 2018, by 7.5 per cent compared to the same period last year.

„The hot summer was already on the cards at the end of the first half of the year and caused sales of glass bottles for this segment to rise. Added to this General trend The trend towards glass bottles, which we have been able to observe again for some years now. This applies in particular to Mineral water“, says Dr Johann OverathManaging Director of the Bundesverband Glasindustrie e. V.

Germans love their mineral water: every German citizen consumed 144.3 litres of mineral and medicinal water last year. There is no shortage of choice: in Germany, there are more than 500 mineral waters from over 200 mineral springs.

As the packaging is the first thing that catches the consumer's eye, it is the Pulse generator for a decision in favour of or against the product. Today, it is more than just a transport case, but often an integral part of the brand.

Premium mineral waters in particular have been packaged in glass again in recent years - predominantly as Individual bottle. The main reason for this is the high-quality and customised design, which makes the product stand out at the PoS. For consumers who value sustainability and regionality, it is mineral waters from the region that are bottled in GDB Pool returnable bottles.

Beer and wine: from glass bottles please

In contrast to non-alcoholic beverages, where the proportion of glass packaging is slowly growing again, the Share of beer and wine consistently high. This is also reflected in the wishes of many consumers, as shown by a GfK survey conducted on behalf of the Glass Packaging Action Forum in 2016: 96.1 per cent of respondents stated that they prefer to drink their beer from a glass bottle. And 98.5 per cent prefer wine from a glass bottle when drinking wine with guests.

This approval continues, as shown by the consistently good sales figures for glass bottles in these segments in the first half of 2018, with sales in the beer and spirits segment growing by 3.8% compared to the same period of the previous year. The wine and sparkling wine segment remained stable at a high level.

„Wine and beer are classic segments in which consumers prefer glass packaging. They are also here Part of the brand“, says Dr Johann Overath.

Glass packaging: prepared for the new packaging law

The demand for glass packaging is increasing. Will this trend continue when the new Packaging Act comes into force on 1 January 2019? Glass is made almost exclusively from natural raw materials, which are found in almost unlimited quantities in nature. What's more, it can be 100 per cent recycled over and over again in a closed cycle - without any loss of quality.

These are important characteristics for regulations such as Section 21 VerpackG, which requires dual systems in Germany to link their licence fees to recyclability and the proportion of recyclates and renewable raw materials in packaging. However, the Recyclability is measured according to the entire packaging. Glass bottles for drinks are of course also made of other materials, such as metal lids, closures, plastics, paper or ceramic components.

Dr Johann Overath, Managing Director of BV Glas, in a brief interview

pj: Dr Overath, the new Packaging Act comes into force on 1 January 2019. What is the container glass industry's position on this?

Dr Johann Overath: In our view, the Packaging Act mainly contains regulations in which glass scores highly as a packaging material. Especially the Increasing the recycling rate for licensed glass has met with the approval of the glass industry. It has been increased from 75 per cent of the licensed glass volume to 80 per cent from 2019 and 90 per cent from 2022.

pj: You have conducted a study on the recyclability of glass packaging. Why did you do this?

Dr Johann Overath: Glass can be 100 per cent recycled, but glass packaging is not made of 100 per cent glass, it has lids or labels made of other materials. The assessment of recyclability relates to the entire product. That's why we wanted to know exactly: How recyclable is glass packaging? And the study has confirmed that, with glass packaging, we have a sustainable product that fulfils all the requirements of modern, recyclable packaging.

pj: So glass is a packaging material of the future?

Dr Johann Overath: Absolutely! Recyclable any number of times, made from natural raw materials and virtually inert. Reusable glass packaging can be recycled up to Refilled 50 times before they are melted down again to make new glass packaging. Glass has many positive properties[/infotext].

Study investigates recyclability

BV Glas commissioned a study from the cyclos-HTP Institute to investigate the recyclability of glass packaging as a whole. The glass packaging analysed as part of the study was to have a Most of the packaging available on the market cover. Therefore, not only beverage bottles were selected, but also jars for canning, food packaging, cosmetics and pharmaceutical glass. Several criteria played a decisive role in the assessment of recyclability.

„First of all, we have the Proportion of recyclable materials for the glass packaging examined,“ explains cyclos-HTP Managing Director Dr Joachim Christiani.

While the glass and the metal lid of glass packaging are considered recyclable materials, the other materials are not recycled. The glass must also fulfil certain requirements so that it can be processed and returned to the cycle.

„For recognising the glass as such, the Optical identifiability required. When the glass is processed in the recycling plants, impurities are identified by means of a so-called transmission measurement. If the glass is opaque, i.e. not transparent, it is rejected by the recycling plants as Impurity identified and blown out of the glass stream,“ Christiani continues.

In the case of metal components, on the other hand, it is their magnetic properties or their Electrical conductivity on. If this is available, they can be easily sorted out and reused in the recycling process. The results of the study show that As a rule Glass packaging has a very high recyclability.