Glass Packaging: Is it Right for Me?
We’ve all used glass before. From drinking an ice-cold beer on a hot summer day to scooping a dollop of sweet, fruity jam onto the perfect piece of toast, glass containers and jars are a commonplace item in our lives. If you’re looking for a new type of packaging method for your products, it’s possible that you’ve considered glass packaging. And why shouldn’t you? It looks great, brings a premium feeling to your goods, and is good for the Earth. All of these are important, but glass packaging is just a little more complicated. Today, we’re helping you decide whether or not glass packaging is the right fit for you, your business, and your products.
What is Glass Packaging Used for?
Though it was much more commonly seen in previous years than it is today, glass packaging is still used across a wide range of industries. Most often, you’ll see glass used to contain a variety of foods and beverages, especially things like carbonated drinks, beer, wine, liquor, condiments, and much more. While food and beverage is one of the most popular industries for glass packaging, you might also see it containing your pharmaceuticals or cosmetics.
However, if you find yourself wondering why you don’t come across glass packaging as often as in the past, you may be surprised to learn that only 1% of all carbonated soft drinks in the United States are packaged in a glass bottle. That’s down from 58% in 1975. Similarly, the number of glass container plants in the country has decreased a whopping 65% since 1983. Much of this is due to the drastic rise in popularity of more durable, lighter plastic packaging. But as single use plastics continue to draw the ire of the sustainably minded (which is a huge portion of the nation!), glass packaging may very well make its comeback.
The Benefits of Glass Packaging
There are numerous benefits that come along with utilizing glass packaging for your products. These include:
Sustainability: One of the biggest, if not the biggest, draws of glass packaging is the incredible sustainability advantages it offers. Glass is fully recyclable and can be reused many times without compromising its integrity or capabilities. Many consider this as a major plus that plastic cannot offer. While versatile and durable, plastics are not always recyclable or reusable, and it usually isn’t obvious when they are.
Freshness: Is there something worse than opening a new bottle of soda to find it’s lost all of its carbonation? Or sipping cool, refreshing water on a hot day, but it tastes more like the plastic bottle holding it? Those problems may take place with plastics, but glass packaging prevents them. Glass is non-porous and non-toxic with an incredibly high rate of impermeability, meaning it won’t contaminate your food or drink. Additionally, it helps to maintain flavor and scent very well, making it a great option for anything that might need to be stored for extended periods, like wines or even perfumes.
Luxury: Most brands want to communicate a certain image and feeling to their customers. For some, that means offering a heightened sense of luxury with a premium feel whenever a buyer picks up their goods, and the packaging must contribute to this message. Glass does just that. Because of its heavier weight and more vintage look, it tends to evoke a very different image than that of plastic. It can inspire the right retro vibe when paired with a colorful logo for your craft beer or it can exude the height of glamour when carrying an expensive perfume.
The Detriments of Glass Packaging
There is nothing in life that is truly, 100% perfect with no flaws or problem areas. Unfortunately, glass packaging is no exception. There are a few downsides that come along with it, which often include:
Cost: A factor that every company must consider throughout every aspect of their business is cost. One of the flaws to utilizing glass packaging is that it tends to be more expensive than its plastic counterparts. This is due in large part to the higher amounts of energy required to manufacture glass products and the increased shipping rates tied to its heavier weight and more delicate nature.
Fragility: Speaking of its more delicate nature, the fragility of glass packaging is something that must also be considered. Generally speaking, a plastic bottle won’t break when dropped, but a glass bottle is more likely to shatter. This causes problems at all points in the supply chain – for the manufacturer, handlers, shippers, retailers, and end users. A broken glass container means a useless product, making it a total loss and waste of money.
Sustainability: While glass offers the major benefit of being fully recyclable and reusable, it’s not the perfect fix to all of our packaging sustainability woes. The manufacturing process for glass takes up quite a bit more heat and energy than that of many plastics, which causes its carbon footprint to be sizeable. In fact, according to the International Journal of Life Cycle Assessment, a .75-liter glass container must be used at least three times to bring its carbon footprint in line with a half-liter plastic bottle and the United States EPA says that only about 1/3 of all glass containers ever even make it to the recycling bin.
Does Your Business Need Glass Packaging?
At the end of the day, it’s necessary for your business to thoroughly examine its products, offerings, and target audience. Understanding what will best protect your goods and what your customers value most from their retail experience can help you determine what kind of packaging you need. If your buyers are primarily interested in the reusability of your packaging materials, then glass could very well be the best choice for your needs. However, if you can’t afford a higher priced material or the transit costs associated, you may prefer to stick with plastic.
No matter what you select, IPS Packaging & Automation is standing by to assist. Our team of packaging experts can guide you through that decision making process and then help you through every step afterward. That means anything from finding the pallets, corrugated boxes, cornerboard, strapping, and more to ship those glass bottles to your customers to securing automatic packaging equipment to expedite and ease all of those processes. Contact us today or call (800) 277-7007 to speak with someone today and find the ideal packaging supplies and equipment for your unique needs.
