While glass accounts for only around a tenth of overall packaging unit volumes in Western Europe, it is responsible for 70% of alcoholic drinks packaging. Glass bottles make up two thirds of beer packaging and dominate in wine and spirits. While glass continues to lose share to other pack types, including metal beverage cans and rigid plastic, the recyclable and often premium nature of glass will help to broadly maintain its usage levels.
This report comes in PPT.
While glass bottles continue to be a key pack type in alcoholic drinks and soft drinks, competition continues to come in the shape of lighter and less easily breakable formats like metal beverage cans or PET bottles. However, in food and beauty and personal care applications, glass packaging can often be used to lend a product a more premium image.
There is no arguing the recyclability and reusability of glass packaging. Developments in terms of thinner, and therefore lighter, glass bottles or jars, or in the production of glass (eg O-I's MAGMA, added cullet, electric furnaces) to lessen its emissions or energy intensiveness could also help to boost the sustainable arguments in favour of glass packaging.
On the Italian island of Sicily, O-I has succeeded in establishing a closed recycling loop for wine bottles. Using waste collected by local player Sarco, O-I produces new wine bottles at its Marsala facility, which are then used to house Sicilian wine to be sold locally around the island. Weighing just 410g, the bottles contain at least 90% recycled glass.
While glass will continue losing share in beer in Germany, it will remain the leading pack type in what is the region's biggest market for the “amber nectar”. Further growth is expected in carbonated and flavoured water in Turkey. In packaged food, strong actual sales growth is expected in dairy, sauces, dips and condiments, and edible oils.
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