This CD contains a special two-hour Webinar broadcast from December 5, 2007, that detailed up-to-the-minute insights into the market forces affecting package design and sustainability. The dense program ...
By Linda Casey
Package designers and glass manufacturers are advancing both the form and function of glass packages. From strong, lightweight bottles to ergonomic features and more eco-friendly decorating techniques and blown-in accoutrements, today’s glass packages are very different from those from a few years back.
Also, the past decade’s glass packaging shortages seem to be mere reflections in the industry’s rearview mirror. Glass packaging is a more available and versatile option in much of the country.
To help package designers who are rethinking glass as a packaging option, Package Design sat down with two executives from Owens-Illinois Inc. (O-I), a major supplier of glass packaging: Raul Paredes, manager of new product development, and Miguel Yanez, marketing director for North America.
PD: What trends are you seeing in glass package design?
Raul Paredes: We’re actually seeing a divergence of trends. The first one is more efficient structural design, where a lot of packaging operations are moving away from containers that require special handling. They want bottles and containers that will run very quickly down fill lines and different handling lines.
The second trend is brand owners who want the container to become part of the product offering. Instead of the package just being a vessel, it’s integrated into the brand’s image. Proprietary bottles can become the signature element of an iconic brand.
There, efficiency may take a little bit of a backseat so that functionality comes to the forefront. These packages may focus on features such as an ergonomic grip. They may be designed to be easy to open, easy to close, and easy to identify both on the shelf and in use. An example is the growing use of specific necks on bottles so bartenders can recognize products in a very fast-paced, busy environment. Here, it’s important for the bottles to be really distinguishable; bartenders are trying to conduct their business with clientele and can’t always look down.
Miguel Yanez: We’ve also seen interest in “retro propositions,” which includes the use of amber glass for protection against UV light. Returnable systems for glass are becoming cool again, too, for their sustainability benefits.
Which shapes and structures are trending up?
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