Crystal-Clear Favourite

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6,200 European households in 12 countries were polled in a survey commissioned by FEVE, the European Container Glass Industry Association headquartered in Brussels. The result of probably the biggest survey ever initiated by the packaging industry is, by FEVE accounts, unambiguous: glass is clearly Europe’s favourite. Two thirds of all those surveyed regard glass as the best packaging material.

Summarising the results of this broad-based study Dominique Tombeur, the current president of FEVE, said: “Europeans view glass to be the most easily recyclable and environmentally friendly packaging material and prefer glass because it conserves taste best while safely protecting its contents against impurities. This means that consumers regard glass as a packaging material that adds more value to the product than other packaging materials. Those polled were consumers aged 18 to 54 years from Germany, France, Greece, the United Kingdom, Italy, the Netherlands, Austria, Poland, Portugal, Spain, the Czech Republic and Turkey. The survey was conducted in September last year.

Positive Environmental Impact

According to the study, half the consumers polled think that glass has a more positive impact on the environment than other packaging materials such as plastics, metal tins or beverage cartons. Glass is made exclusively of natural raw materials that are available in nature in virtually unlimited quantities. Moreover, glass can be recycled 100%. In a closed-loop cycle glass packaging can be recycled into new glass packaging time and again resulting in major raw material savings. And consumers know that glass is 100% recyclable, which is why they consider it the most environment-compatible packaging material. 82% of the Europeans polled said they were active glass recyclers themselves. Germany and Austria are top of the glass recycling list. Here, over 90% of the interviewees said they recycled their glass packaging.

Health First – Convenience Follows

Glass is one of the most versatile packaging materials: it “envelopes” and protects all kinds of food and beverages. At the same time, it is a high-quality “safe” for fragrances and body-care agents as well as a reliable and absolutely safe drug container. After all, glass is the packaging material that allows no interaction between contents and packaging. This also means: glass is absolutely neutral to the taste. It neither releases any ingredients nor absorbs any aromas or active agents. It was obvious to see that many consumers feel that packaging materials may cause a risk to their health. 69% of the users polled think glass-based packaging is second to none in retaining the taste and nutritional value of food and beverages. 48% deem glass to be the safest packaging material in this respect.
Furthermore, the majority is of the opinion that glass adds more value to products and is more suitable for special occasions than other packaging materials. As many as 85% explicitly stated that they would never forego glass for formal occasions.
Other results obtained in the study according to FEVE showed that consumers increasingly rate health and environmental consciousness higher than convenience aspects when it comes to choosing packaging materials.

Crystal-Clear Choice

45% of the users polled said that they would rather opt for water and fruit juices in glass bottles if their food retailers gave them the choice. Dominique Tombeur is confident: “Given the choice consumers want, appreciate and opt for glass.”
For this reason the European Glass Packaging Association intends to encourage producers and dealers alike with its new campaign “Glass is the Clear Choice” to offer a wider choice of products packaged in glass. For end users whose first choice is glass, a campaign entitled “Friends of Glass” will be launched: an animated online platform (www.friendsofglass.com) containing information on such topics as health and well-being, recycling and environment, glass art and design. Further activities and information events are planned for the rest of 2009. Furthermore, autumn is expected to see a “Choose Glass Week”.

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