Glass confirms itself as the most appreciated food packaging by consumers. It lends itself to reuse as well as recycling. It excels both for chemical safety and for preserving the organoleptic qualities of foods, as has been seen for tomato and wine.
Sales of foods packaged in glass are growing
Preferences consumer preferences are well represented by the trend in food sales. For wine, beer, and sauces, 85% of turnover is absorbed precisely by those packaged in glass. With significant growth rates in the last three years (2016-2019), both for sauces (+17%), beers (+16%), and wines (+13%).
Fruit juices in glass bottles are also on the rise, +10% from 2016 to 2019. This is revealed by the analysis conducted by Professor Guido Cristini of the University of Parma on behalf of Assovetro, titled ‘The contribution of glass packaging in enhancing food & beverage categories. Implications for large-scale retail‘.
The sustainability of glass
Example of circular economy, being reusable as well as infinitely recyclable, glass used in food packaging is increasingly eco-friendly.
Jars and bottles have been redesigned in the name of energy savings. Compared to the 90s, the weight of individual packaging has been significantly reduced. By 18% for the sparkling wine bottle, 13% for the baby food jar, 12.1% for the oil bottle. Overall, for the production of bottles and jars, energy consumption has halved and related emissions have decreased by 70%, compared with 40 years ago.
Separate collection and recycling They in turn registered steady growth. In 2018, 85.9% of families submitted glass to separate collection (+35% compared to 10 years earlier). The recycling rate reached 76.3% (+6.6% compared to 2017). This allowed saving 3.395 million tons of virgin raw materials, 320,000 toe (tons of oil equivalent) of energy, and 2.082 million tons of CO2.
The role of the Italian industry
The Italian industry It is the second in Europe in the production of glass bottles and jars. 16 industrial groups, 39 plants, 7,100 employees plus 12,000 in the supply chain. Two billion euros annual turnover, with significant investments (€200 million/year, equal to 10%). Of these, 41% (€82 million/year) is dedicated to reducing the environmental impact of production.
‘Environmental sustainability It is a topic on which consumers today feel particularly involved even when choosing a product at the supermarket. This favorable wind for glass, as sustainable packaging, requires more than ever our commitment. And the European glass industry has already set itself a goal: to reach by 2030 an average collection rate of 90% of glass destined for recycling.' (Marco Ravasi, Assovetro, president of the glass containers section).
Professional journalist since January 1995, she has worked for newspapers (Il Messaggero, Paese Sera, La Stampa) and magazines (NumeroUno, Il Salvagente). Author of journalistic investigations on food, she published the book 'Reading Labels to Know What We Eat.'
