As you may have already guessed by our name, we’re big fans of glass bottles. But why glass bottles? Are they actually better than plastic, metal, or paper materials?
YES! There are so many reasons to choose glass over other materials, so we’re going to try and convince you…
- Glass comes from nature
Glass is made from naturally occurring ingredients abundant in nature. The unique alchemy of sand, soda ash, limestone, and recycled glass continues to work its magic to create a wonderful material loved by people over the world. No other material or chemical layers are needed to complete it.
We are all aware of the need to reduce the usage of single-use plastics, which are blighting our landscapes and oceans, all the while harming our animals’ ecosystems and habitats. If companies started to use more glass packaging instead of plastic, this would help to reduce the amount of plastic waste in landfill, as well as saving the vital energy it takes to produce new plastic products! We’ve had a number of our customers comment on how they have recently switched from plastic to glass packaging due to market needs. Although it could possibly cost a tiny bit more than plastic initially, you can soon make that money back, and more, with the potential of increasing your number of regular customers once they see how your business is sustainable and more eco-friendly!
2.Glass is 100% recyclable and infinitely so
Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled endlessly with no loss in quality or purity. Glass recycling is a closed-loop system, creating no additional waste or by-products. It is one of the very few examples where the same material can be recycled over and over again without loss of quality.
3.Glass is Easier To Clean And Sterilise
Glass is super easy to sterilize as it is able to be exposed to high temperatures that kill off any harmful bacteria, whilst plastic items will not hold their structure under heat. There is also no limit as to how many times you can reuse a glass bottle, unlike their plastic alternatives, which will start to become malleable and lose it’s shape over time if left in warm environments.
Here at Glass Bottles, we’re proud to use the minimal amount of plastic in our products and during delivery to do our small bit for Planet Earth. Whilst new reusable plastics are being developed, we believe that glass packaging is the future!
4. Glass containers can be reused: they can have up to 50 lives
Glass bottles and jars can also be reused and refilled before being recycled into a new bottle at the end of their lives – making glass the leading reusable option for food and beverage consumers around the world, particularly in local markets. Reusing glass bottles reduces the overall impact and combined with recyclable solutions, it increases the sustainable value of glass many times over.
5.Glass supports a robust EU Circular Economy
The container glass industry services essential EU sectors (including food, beverage, pharmaceutical and cosmetics and perfumery) – not just in domestic markets, but as an enabler for the export of high-end products across the world. Moreover, more than 125,000 people work in the glass packaging value chain across Europe.
By 2050 the container glass industry aims to achieve a major revolution in producing glass that is fit for a circular and climate-neutral economy, in line with the UN Sustainable Development Goals – securing the future of the sector and the jobs that depend on it across the value chain.