North American 2011 Glass Packaging Outlook

Reduced Footprint and Greater Appeal to Green- and Health-Conscious Consumers

Leaving a smaller environmental footprint and appealing to the health-conscious consumer were major areas of focus for the North American glass container industry in 2010—and will continue to be in 2011.

The North American glass container industry made strides in 2010 to create more recycling awareness and improve recycled glass collection for bottle-to-bottle recycling. All of this helps to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and use of raw materials, extend the life of glass manufacturing furnaces, save energy, and meet the industry’s 50% recycled content goal by 2013.

In further support of the this goal, in late 2010 the industry released its first comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA), which enumerates the benefits of boosting the use of cullet, or recycled glass, in shrinking the industry’s environmental footprint. The findings of the LCA will help lay the foundation for the industry’s efforts in 2011 and beyond. More

Get all the details on the 2011 outlook for glass containers:

Glass Shipments and Production
Making a Difference through Packaging Choices
Lighter in Weight, More Recycled Content, Innovative Designs
Appealing to Green- and Health-Conscious Consumers
A Need for More and Better Ways to Recycle
Climate Change Legislation Takes Center Stage
New and Expanded Container Deposit, Extended Producer Responsibility, Legislation

Industry Overview: Glass Shipments and Production

In 2010, the glass container industry demonstrated strong increases in shipment and production in the wine segment, helping to offset declining shipments in other categories. More

Consumer Trends: Making a Difference through Packaging Choices

Characteristics of wine, alcoholic beverages and certain acidic foods can have an effect on package integrity. Glass containers are preferred for bottling wine, spirits and many food products because they are the only material with a high impermeability to gases and vapors, prove stable over time, are transparent, and are readily recycled. Unlike plastic, cans, and multi-layered or bag-in-box cartons, natural glass bottles don’t require any additional liner or additives to preserve the taste of wine, beer, and foods. A fact not lost on consumers. More

Packaging Trends: Lighter in Weight, More Recycled Content, Innovative Designs

As consumers increasingly demand reduced packaging that is also fully recyclable, the glass container industry is responding. They are expanding their capacity to use less to create the same top-quality, 100 percent pure and recyclable glass bottles and jars. At the same time, the industry is light-weighting many of its container offerings while using more recycled content in those containers. And to remain competitive, the industry is introducing leading-edge designs for fresh and innovative packaging options. More

Emerging Markets: Appealing to Green- and Health-Conscious Consumers

Consumers prefer to purchase products from companies that are environmentally responsible and working to reduce their carbon footprint. Companies and industries that can “close the loop,” or put as much as possible back into the production cycle, reducing raw material use, energy, and emissions, are those that will benefit in the long run. In 2010, the North American glass container industry also produced the first complete and thorough cradle-to-cradle life cycle assessment (LCA). The LCA, coordinated by the Glass Packaging Institute, reaffirmed the benefits of glass container recycling for the environment. More

Glass Recycling: A Need for More and Better Ways to Recycle

A Newton Marketing Research survey of 750 households conducted July 2009 found that of those households that recycle, 82% recycle their glass bottles.  The majority (69%) of those surveyed recycle through a curbside collection program. Another 23% recycle glass through drop-off collection sites.
 
As recycling grows in the U.S., so does the number of recycled glass processing facilities. Currently, there are 76 cullet processors in 31 states. A full 28 percent of all glass is recycled. Just over a third (35.6%) of glass beer and soft drink bottles is recycled, followed by wine and liquor bottles (15%) and food containers (15%). More

Federal Legislation: Climate Change Legislation Takes Center Stage

In 2010, Congress moved more cautiously with respect to energy legislation that impacts the glass container industry. Neither chamber passed cap and trade provisions, as the House did in 2009, which would have required a series of “allowances” to be purchased over time to reflect plant emission levels. More

State Legislation: New and Expanded Container Deposit, Extended Producer Responsibility, Legislation

California, Hawaii, Iowa, New York, Oregon and Vermont each introduced expansion of their existing bottle deposit programs. Connecticut’s expanded container deposit program for water bottles went into effect this year. New York also passed expansion legislation to raise the container “handling fee” and extend the program to include water containers. After numerous court challenges, the law went in to effect in late October. More