Members of the glass industry are calling on food producers and brands to give greater prominence to the use of glass in packaging, as it is inert and can help preserve food (thus reducing waste).

The call comes from the European pro-glass forum Friends of Glass, and follows on from the UK’s ‘Fresher for Longer’ conference on 5 February, in which members of the industry highlighted how packaging can help reduce food waste by protecting its content and extending its shelf life.

However, Friends of Glass suggests glass is still not sufficiently recognised for its beneficial qualities as an alternative form of packaging (aside from plastic and cardboard).

Arguments for Glass

As such, the body is now calling on food producers and brands to boost its preference for glass packaging as it is ‘impermeable and therefore has a natural ability to preserve the freshness of the food and drink it contains’ and, unlike plastic, its ‘inert properties means there is no need for additional chemical layers, making it one of most naturally safe and healthy packaging materials on the shelf’.

Friends of Glass also argues that glass preserves freshness better than plastic, thus reducing the amount of perishable food that has to be thrown away. Indeed, it is currently estimated that around 60 per cent of UK food waste presently comes from perishable goods that are ‘not used in time,’ valued at £6.7 billion. In total, the UK currently throws away £12.3 billion of food every year.

A second argument is that glass can be recycled indefinitely with no loss of quality to the product, unlike other materials such as plastic and paper which lose quality the more times they are recycled.

These arguments, along with posited aesthetic arguments, have reportedly caused companies such as fizzy drink brand ‘Appletiser’ to move exclusively to glass packaging (as Appeltiser announced on twitter last week).

Other members of the food and drink industry are also taking steps against waste. Recently, the Food and Drink Federation (FDF) revealed that in 2012, only 3 per cent of waste processed at FDF member sites went to landfill. Of the remainder, 28 per cent was recycled.

Rebecca Cocking, Head of Container Affairs at British Glass Manufacturers' Confederationand UK spokeswoman for Friends of Glass said: “There is a long list of good reasons to opt for glass packaging including better taste, better preservation, better recyclability. Manufacturers have also been working hard to make lighter robust glass bottles and jars for the food and beverage industry…

“Food sold in glass containers will keep longer on shelves and in the home, minimising food waste for both brands and consumers and saving money. What’s more, because it looks good, consumers are more likely to reuse glass packaging. But when there’s no longer a use for the container, glass can be recycled indefinitely with no loss of quality.

“By helping reduce the amount of food waste, glass packaging also has an important role to play in reducing harmful greenhouse gases that arise from food waste sent to landfill.”

Around 10 million tonnes of packaging are produced by the UK every year, making it one of the most ubiquitous forms of waste.

Efforts to reduce packaging waste include WRAP’s voluntary Courtauld Commitment (now in its third phase) to reduce packaging. It was revealed recently that phase two of the agreement saved £3.1bn, as well as delivering valuable reductions in levels of packaging.

Read more about current debates in packaging.