Section 4.1: Consumer Preferences

Consumers prefer glass. Glass packaging delivers what customers and marketers want:

• Purity and Healthiness of Product
• Premium Image
• Sustainability
• Recyclability
• Preservation of Taste and Flavor
• Shelf-life Value

These attributes attract "socially aware" consumers and those concerned about "green" or "earth friendly" products.

Glass attracts individuals concerned about their health and the purity of the product in the glass package.

Glass packaging adds value to our customers' products, our lives and to our planet.

Healthy for Individuals. Healthy for the Planet.

While much is yet to be understood about the effects of other packaging materials on human health glass has proven safe and healthy for consumers and the environment for more than 3,000 years. No other packaging material has the proven track record of glass.

• Glass is the only packaging material "generally recognized as safe" (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).
• Because glass is chemically inert, it is the consumer's perfect protection for food and beverages.
• Glass is one of the most sustainable packaging materials on earth, taking into consideration all carbon footprint factors.
• Glass is true "cradle-to-cradle" packaging - meaning it can be recycled infinitely to be re-made into bottles, jars or containers that are equally pure as the original. The recycled product is so pure that it can again touch food or beverages.

Key Values of Glass

For consumers, glass takes the lead in packaging that:

1. Presents the true flavor of the product.
2. Preserves the purity of the product inside.
3. Preserves the quality of the product inside.
4. Increases the shelf life of a product.

Source: GPI May 2006

Consumer Research Shows a Preference for Glass:

ONLY glass containers can claim all five of these consumer-desired attributes:

1. Glass is microwavable
2. Glass keeps the product inside colder longer
3. Glass does not deteriorate, corrode, stain or fade (i.e., the package always looks great)
4. Glass is transparent and, thus, can showcase a product and entice the buyer
5. Glass is one of the most sustainable packaging materials on earth; it is safe and healthy for the consumer and the environment.

Consumers have an overwhelming preference for glass in four major categories:

Five categories with an under-represented preference for glass:

Source: Burnham Study 2004

Consumer Surveys Demonstrate Consumers see Value in Glass

"...glass is pure..." (82% agree)
"Glass is the most pure packaging..." (77% agree)
"plastic packaging may not be pure." (55% agree)
(2005 Survey of 1,000 U.S. consumers)

Packaging Professionals Recognize Consumer Values

Glass is the most pure packaging. (86% agree)
Consumers are concerned about impurities in non-glass packaging. (60% agree)
(2005 Survey of 5,000 U.S. packaging professionals)

Hear why these companies chose glass for their products:

• Anchor Steam Beer
  


• Del Monte
  


• Mondavi
  

continue to Section 4.2: Brand Building