Michigan State University School of Packaging students Jeanne Zamojski, Amy Weatherhead, and Alexandra Peterson are the first place winners in GPI’s 2008 Glass Packaging Design Competition for their wine bottle design (above).

“Winning was a surprise,” says Alex Peterson, “but we made a big team effort.” Teammate Jeanne Zamojski adds, “From the beginning our goal was to win. To do that, we knew we needed to come up with a unique and memorable design.” A square-based bottle structure helped them get high marks for originality and innovation.
 
The competition is part of MSU Professor Dennis Young’s Packaging 221 Glass and Metal Packaging course. A total of 28 randomly assigned teams participated in the competition, which emphasized original design concepts. “While we wanted students to use good glass design techniques, we were really looking for innovation and creativity,” says Young.
 
The team chose a bottle made from green glass, which can be easily recycled, and protects the product from ultraviolet light. “I think we accomplished what we set out to do,” adds Zamojski. “We created an environmentally friendly package that is aesthetically pleasing and matches an upscale market.”

“There was a lot of enthusiasm from the students,” says Young.  “It gives them a chance to really get dialed in on the world of packaging and shows them what they can expect when they get an internship or start their packaging career.”
 
The teams had to consider a host of variables when designing with glass and for many it was a new experience.  “This competition gave us our first opportunity to learn about glass packaging, its properties, and how it’s produced,” says Zamojski.   
 
“Of course the primary purpose of this competition is to get students to start thinking about the multitude of packaging attributes that only glass can offer,” says Rick Bayer, GPI’s Academic Subcommittee Chairman.  
 
An actual glass reproduction of the winning design was completed by Owen-Illinois, Inc. at their headquarters model shop in Perrysburg, Ohio.  It is made out of Lucite, which is done to give a customer an idea of how the glass product will look.  This will be displayed, along with the design entry, at the MSU Packaging School.  “We’re excited about the mock up of the winning design,” says Young.  “And we’re very appreciative for GPI and industry sponsorship of this event.”
 
MSU faculty members Dr. Susan Selke, Dr. Bruce Harte and Dr. Rafael Auras, completed the first round of judging and winnowed entries down to the top 10. These went on to final judging by glass packaging industry representatives Craig Potts, O-I, Dale DeVore, Saint-Gobain Containers; and Efrain Karchmer at Vitro Packaging.
 
As first place winners, Zamojski, Weatherhead, and Peterson each received an engraved glass plaque, a $100 Best Buy gift card and enrollment at O-I’s Glass University. Student winners are planning for internships in food packaging next year.

“A Look Inside”: Jamestown Glasshouse Marks 400th Anniversary

Jamestown, VA, America’s first permanent English settlement, celebrated its 400th anniversary last year, but 2008 marks the 400th anniversary of the Jamestown Glasshouse.

“This anniversary marks the beginning of one of the first industries introduced on this continent,” says GPI President Joe Cattaneo. “Glass making continues to flourish in the United States today covering a wide variety of consumer products, building materials, insulation, fiber optics, and other goods.”

The German Embassy celebrated the anniversary with a historic marker erected at the 1608 ruins which describes the contribution of German artisans. A Polish contingent is planning a celebration in October. In 1608, the Virginia Company of London brought several German and Polish glassblowing artisans to Jamestown, Virginia to set-up glassworks in the new colony.

At the Jamestown site visitors can see the ruins of the original glasshouse furnaces and watch glass being made at a reconstructed glasshouse. The working glasshouse built in the 1950s for the 350th anniversary was destroyed by fire in 1974. In 1976, the Glass Packaging Institute contributed to the erection of the current replica.

“The working Glasshouse is a big attraction,” says Gwyn Johnson, Unit Manager at the site. “People are really fascinated when they get here because few know what glass is made of and most have never seen glass blowing.” The site receives bus loads of youth on fieldtrips from across the country as well as adult visitors. The Colonial National Historic Park, which includes the Glasshouse, gets about 440,000 visitors annually.

“We use pretty much everything that the original settlers used for glass blowing,” says Johnson. “The only difference is we use natural gas to fuel the fire and they would have used wood.” The original colonists’ raw materials were sand from the beach, burned sea weed for soda ash, wood ash as potash and oyster shells for lime.

Early artisans could only make glass four or five days a month. The rest of their time was spent cutting wood and gathering ingredients. They had to chop enough wood to build a two story house and then hand stoke that fire day and night for almost two weeks to get a melt so they could blow glass.

“We don't know for sure what they were making, but we believe it would have been window glass, wine bottles, and simple drinking vessels,' says Johnson. "We do know that a 'tryal of glasse' or sample of glass was sent back in 1609 on the ship that carried John Smith back to England. Althoug these early efforts at glassmaking ultimately failed, it was the first industry attempted in English North America.

PACKAGING TRENDS

For Cosmetics Products, Glass Completes the Package

Leaders from AVON, Pangea Organics, and Nàdarra Skin Care Talk about Choosing Glass Containers for Purity, Recyclability, and Sustainability

For the health-conscious consumer, buying products in glass packaging is the ‘natural’ choice. Consumer preference for glass is particularly strong for cosmetics products, as glass protects them from degradation and chemical interactions, which is key to a cosmetic product’s image and viability.

While glass containers have always been the gold standard, leaders in the personal care and cosmetics industry have expanded their reasons for choosing glass from its premium image and pure, synthetic-free composition to also include the recyclable and sustainable benefits of glass … creating the complete cosmetic package.

Nàdarra Skin Care

Julia Michener, President of Nàdarra Skin Care, recently started her 11-product line of all-natural skin care products aimed at the health-conscious consumer who worries about what she puts on her body. Michener’s entire Nàdarra Skin Care line contains only natural oils, herbs, and other plant-based ingredients. And everything is sold in glass containers.

Michener believes the trend today is toward products that help to encourage a healthy and socially/environmentally conscious lifestyle. She says, “Glass is a great fit for this, though it has only begun to gather a fraction of the popularity it will soon achieve. As far as I have seen, consumers are the ones who are driving the demand.”

Michener chose glass packaging as part of a goal to develop skin care products that are as free as possible of synthetic ingredients and harmful chemicals. She wanted to create products that are good for people and the environment. The common substances used to preserve, fragrance, and emulsify products on the market were unappealing for Michener to use on her own body and she wanted an alternative for herself and others. It seemed only fitting for Michener to package her carefully crafted formulations in a substance that would not degrade them.

“[Buyers] are impressed with the quality glass suggests, in a world where plastic seems to be the easiest and most economical choice for many,” says Michener. “They are happy that I am using recyclable materials and some who are more ‘in the know’ approve of the choice to not use plastic in order to avoid the chemicals that often leach into the product from the packaging. This is of special consideration with natural products, whose potent ingredients can often interact with plastic and cause it to erode slightly, or pucker, or warp over time.”

“Consumers are clearly excited by the recyclable nature of glass and the potential environmental benefits of having companies reuse their own packaging,” says Michener. “They also view glass as an indicator of quality. It hints of days gone by in a world where less was disposable and products were made locally and with more care.”

In the near future, Michener would like to make her use of glass a more environmentally and financially-friendly option by implementing a recycling program whereby bottles would be collected from her retail locations and washed and sterilized for reuse. The company is already doing this on a small scale, but they plan to implement it on a larger scale to improve Nàdarra’s eco-footprint, cost savings, and consumer appeal.

Pangea Organics

Pangea Organics is an organic personal-care product company that uses sustainable manufacturing processes to produce, distribute, and market its products. The company chose glass for several of its products because of its purity and sustainability.

According to Joshua Onysko, Founder and CEO of Pangea Organics: “We chose a glass packaging because it is a material that can be recycled over and over again in a closed loop. Also, glass is impermeable and nonporous. It safeguards against moisture and oxygen invasion. Additionally, amber and green glass can filter out harmful ultraviolet rays, protecting product integrity in support of our all-natural preservative system.”

Pangea uses glass bottles for its Facial Cleanser, Facial Toners, Facial Creams, Facial Mask and Massage & Body Oils. “Sustainable packaging is more than a marketing ploy for us,” continues Onysko. “In fact, it is our number one packaging priority. Getting this info out to consumers is naturally the next step.”

Avon

In response to consumer demand for multi-functional skincare products that can meet a variety of consumer needs in an elegant and convenient form, AVON created its ANEW anti-aging skin care line in glass containers.

“Glass is a material that is available worldwide, and as our ANEW products are launched globally, we know we can meet our customers’ expectations of premium quality and image by developing new package types in glass jars and bottles,” says Anthony Gonzalez, Sr. Manager, Skincare, Avon Research & Development. “The weight of the glass and its premium feel were drivers in the decision to use glass packaging.”

Since ANEW’s initial launch in 1992, the brand has been a forefront of anti-aging breakthroughs to help its customers stay ahead of aging. There are several franchises to meet different consumer needs under the ANEW brand including ANEW Alternative, ANEW Clinical, ANEW Ultimate and ANEW Rejuvenate.

"As our understanding of cosmetic ingredient performance grows, the use of highly purified botanicals and nature mimetic ingredients will enable us to provide new and innovative anti-aging technologies. The cosmetic formulator will look more and more to innovative packaging not only to deliver new product forms but to deliver and help stabilize these new cosmetic ingredients in a package that is well accepted by the consumer," says Gonzalez.

GPI Recognizes 10 North American Glass Plants in National Awards Program

The Glass Packaging Institute recognized 10 glass container manufacturing facilities for excellence in creating award-winning products in a national packaging design competition called the Clear Choice Awards. The glass container plants honored include facilities from Owens-Illinois, Inc., Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc., and Vitro Packaging.

“Glass is the preferred packaging material for ‘premium,’ ‘pure,’ and ‘sustainable’ new products,” said GPI President Joseph Cattaneo. “We congratulate the employees of these local facilities for their contributions in bringing these products to the marketplace. Their hard work reflects the glass container manufacturing industry’s commitment to product innovation, sustainability, and quality manufacturing.”

Owens-Illinois’ (O-I) Danville, VA, plant: Miller Chill, Beer Category winner

Owens-Illinois’ (O-I) Waco, TX, plant: Miller Chill, Beer Category winner

Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.’s (SGCI) Dolton, IL, plant: Del Monte Organic Pickles, by M.A. Gedney Company, Organic Food Category winner

Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.’s (SGCI) Madera, CA, plant: Tin Roof Cabernet Sauvignon, Wine Category winner

Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.’s (SGCI) Seattle, WA, plant: Tin Roof Chardonnay, Wine Category Winner

Saint-Gobain Containers, Inc.’s (SGCI) Dunkirk, IN, plant: Red Gold Salsa, Conversion Recognition Category winner

Vitro Packaging’s Distrito Federal, Mexico, plant: Avon Anew Clinical 15 mL & 30 mL, Fragrances/Cosmetics Category winner

Vitro Packaging’s Monterrey, Mexico, plant: On the Border Salsa, Food Category winner; Q Tonic, Carbonated Beverage Category winner; Sake2me, Flavored Alcoholic Beverage Category winner

Vitro Packaging’s Jalisco, Mexico, plant: Rose’s Mojito, Overall Package Design winner

Vitro Packaging’s Mexico City, Mexico, plant: On the Border Salsa, Food Category winner

GPI, the trade association representing the North American glass container industry, conducts the annual Clear Choice Awards, which recognizes consumer product goods companies that package their food, beverage, cosmetic and fragrance products in glass.

For more information on the 2008 Clear Choice Awards, please visit gpi.org.

View photos of this year’s Award-winning products.

See the winners receive their Awards on YouTube

LEGISLATION

GPI Supports NC Tax Credit Legislation

North Carolina House Bill 2679, introduced last month, would provide a tiered tax credit of either $250 or $500 per year to assist Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC) permit holders comply with the state’s law requiring them to recycle all bottles and cans.

Working with the North Carolina Restaurant Association, GPI sent a letter of support to the bill’s author, Rep. Pryor Gibson. H.B. 2679 would encourage ABC permit holders to recycle beyond the minimum through this program. A preliminary analysis of the program indicates that the new law will generate an additional 50,000 – 75,000 tons annually of recycled glass. The costs associated with this program are born solely by the permit holder and are estimated to be $1,800 annually.

Oregon Bottle Bill Task Force Releases Preliminary Proposal

The Oregon Bottle Bill Task Force has released a preliminary proposal on modernizing the state’s container deposit system. Under consideration is the possibility of having the beverage container industry operate the statewide system. Highlights of the proposal include keeping the deposit rate at five cents for containers less than 24 ounces and the exclusion of aseptic packaging from any expansion. The refund value would also double, under the proposal, if the state does not reach an 80% beverage container recycling rate by 2015.

New York Assembly Passes Container Deposit Expansion

The New York State Assembly has once again passed legislation that would expand the current container redemption system to include a five-cent deposit on all non-carbonated drinks, sports drinks, juices, and iced teas. Assembly leaders and supporters of the legislation claim these containers make up 27% of beverage sales in the state.

This legislation would also require that all unredeemed deposits be remanded to the State Fund invested in environmental programs. The state Senate has not yet voted on the bill, but Senate Leader Joe Bruno (R) has expressed opposition to expansion of the law the past several years it has been considered. Similar legislation passed the Assembly in the last legislative session, but failed Senate consideration.

GLASS RECYCLING

NC News Reports Up Tick in Glass Recovery with ABC Law

Six months in to a state law requiring bars and restaurants that serve alcohol to recycle their glass bottles and cans, Fayetteville, NC reports that things have changed. This includes more recycled glass containers at recycling facilities and less trash at restaurants. County officials also note that the law has created an overall increase in recycling as container collection programs have been created at other public and private businesses. Watch the news video

Colorado Glass Container Recycler Wins Award

Dahl Recycling, an independent glass container recycler in Colorado Springs, won the Colorado Association for Recycling’s “Outstanding Business Recycling/Diversion Program” award, which was presented during the Association’s May conference in Aspen.

Dahl Recycling contracts with more than 60 bars and restaurants throughout the city to pick up bar glass at no charge, and then sells the glass to Coors Brewing Company’s glass plant to be made into new beer bottles.

Since Jeff Dahl founded the company in May 2005, Dahl Recycling has gone from zero to more than 60 Colorado Springs bars and restaurants and has diverted for recycling approximately 3,000 tons of wine, beer and liquor bottles. His service has grown so popular that Mr. Dahl has bar and restaurant owners calling him to participate.

“No other recycling company comes close to the level of service to restaurants and bars that Jeff does,” said Richard Skorman, owner of three popular restaurants that participate in the Dahl bar-glass program. “He makes recycling easy and hassle-free for me. Without Dahl Recycling, I’d have to toss my glass in with the rest of the trash.”

Glass Container Recycling in CA Hits 67%

A California Department of Conservation report on beverage container recycling in 2007 found that glass—and all other materials—rose to record numbers. A total of 14.7 billion beverage containers were recycled in 2007, 1.5 billion more than in 2006, for a recycling rate of 67%. The glass container recycling rate also hit 67%, up from 59% in 2006.

This increase comes during a year when sales for California Refund Value (CRV) beverage containers were flat. The rise is largely attributed to a January 1, 2007 CRV rate increase to 5 cents for beverage containers less than 24 ounces. Get the full report

1000 WORDS

Recycling glass bottles reduces pollution and helps save our earth. See the facts

Copyright © 2008 Glass Packaging Institute 

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