Substrate Review: Glass Packaging

Packagers Continue to Use Glass To Create An Irresistible Appeal And Get Best Product Protection

by Mary Ellen Reis and Jung Weil

Over the past decade, packaging has assumed a tremendous amount of responsibility in "advertising" a product. Consumer product goods (CPG) companies like Anheuser-Busch, Coca-Cola, Del Monte, Estée Lauder, and Bacardi have increased both creative and manufacturing efforts to promote the package as the number one marketing vehicle to sell their products. This responsibility shift has helped to promote the use of glass as a container substrate because of the inherent premium presence and supreme product protection attributes.

Packaging is similar to fashion, and consumers are in tune with fashion trends. Like any fashion, the color, shape, and texture of an item changes with consumer tastes and lifestyle preferences. Changes in consumer trends also lead to packaging changes. Everyone in the packaging design industry knows that most packages are constantly groomed and updated to keep the shelf presence of the products new and exciting.

New fashions promote old benefits of glass

There are some recent key consumer trends that have had an effect on the glass container industry, and we'll review five of those trends here.

Nutraceuticals—The increase of products promoting health and wellness has also raised the awareness of the superior barrier qualities of glass. POM Wonderful is a great example of a premium beverage pumped with antioxidants. Higher quality ingredients demand superior protection from oxygen, light, or loss of carbonation. Glass offers the highest barrier protection of any packaging material, protects the product formulation, and maintains long-term shelf life.

Wine and Spirits—The wine and spirits category, a long mainstay with premium glass packaging, offers some of the most dynamic and complex packaging designs. And given the ongoing cocktail craze, on-premise and retail sales have been shifting more to the spirits category. Robert Evans, owner of Red Rocks Café & Tequila Bar in Centreville, Va., comments, "No one just orders rum, tequila, vodka, or gin these days. They want to see the five bottles of tequila you have up close and pick one that catches their attention." Three eye-catching tequila bottles at this bar are popular because of their packaging — they each have a three-dimensional sculpture inside the bottle. Porfidio features a hand-blown cactus, Forgata features a hand-blown flame, and Milagro has an agave plant. "I'm not going to buy a bottle that doesn't look good," says Evans. And, according to Evans, if a customer isn't sure of what kind of cocktail they're in the mood for, "they'll just take a look at the array of stunning glass bottles on display and pick one that looks cool."

Alternative Malt/Low-Carb

Beverages—The "malternative" craze started by Smirnoff Ice was a significant boost to U.S. domestic glass container production during 2002-2003. It helped the glass container industry not only with increased volume but also massive media attention as dozens of other companies launched similar products within a very short period of time. About three years ago, Anheuser-Busch partnered with No.1 rum brand Bacardi to introduce Bacardi Silver, backed by a $60 million marketing campaign from Lambesis, in Carlsbad, Calif., that casts the brand as the party maker with a gyrating beat and the tag: "Your night just got more interesting." And given the current cocktail craze, Anheuser-Busch has recently made plans to venture into the spirits category as well.

The increase in demand for malternatives and low-carb beers has led to the increased need for domestic glass production. In response to this need, Owens-Illinois recently broke ground on its new state-of-the-art glass container manufacturing plant in Windsor, Colo. The new facility will be among the highest output glass container plants in the U.S., producing over one billion glass bottles annually.

Organics—New organic food and beverages are flooding the market. According to organic food experts who attended the most recent organic conference held in Chicago in conjunction with FMI (May 2004), organics are migrating into mainstream supermarkets and capturing market share from heavily marketed brands. Eric Schnell, co-founder of Healthy Beverage Co., explains the benefits of glass: "We chose glass as the packaging substrate for Steap to present a premium presence to our consumers. Glass was a natural choice since it offers the most premium presence on shelf. The package is also beautiful with the clear pressure-sensitive label. The integrity of our product demands excellent barrier protection and glass was our choice over PET or aluminum. Finally, our company is very environmentally conscious and glass is an excellent substrate for recyclability."

Functional Foods and Beverages—Products that make a distinct, written health claim enhanced with added ingredients or through the act of processing define a "functional" food or beverage. The total U.S. sales of functional foods alone for 2003 totaled $4.6 billion, which was an 11 percent growth from 2002. An aging demographic, increased obesity, and other health related issues (diabetes and heart disease) are the causes for the increased introduction of sophisticated foods and beverages that target specific health related topics (low-carb, low salt, energy, memory, digestion, heartburn). These new products will need superior processing due to the amount of sophisticated ingredients and long-term shelf protection.

Why glass is still hot for new packages

Marvin Smith, President of Chattanooga Labeling Systems, Inc., a contract decorator located in Chattanooga, Tenn., appreciates that glass remains a popular choice for new products because of its versatility. The use of unique shapes, shrink-sleeve labels, pressure-sensitive labels, colored glass containers, and coatings have allowed glass containers to remain an appealing substrate.

Smith states: "The increase in decorating methods for glass has made a major difference for my customers by offering them design flexibility. For instance, the use of an acid-etched container labeled with a pressure sensitive label can be dramatically different in comparison to the same glass bottle that is not acid-etched but utilizes the same label. In reference to the customer, this is just one decorating step removed, but the customer still uses the same bottle and the same label. They have the opportunity to extend the life-cycle of the package design and save costs by utilizing the same packaging components."

With packaging containers becoming more and more dynamic, package development teams have to consider the top five advantages of a glass package outlined here.

Glass is Premium—The qualities of glass will always reflect high quality and a premium image. Glass has been used for centuries to reflect the best and most appealing containers whether used for fine champagne or fresh squeezed juice. Consumers like glass because they trust it as a container substrate. The package will not deteriorate, corrode or melt, and glass has a high competitive advantage for its historic heritage. Keywords such as home-made, premium, quality, protection, vintage, celebration, and tradition have routinely been associated with glass containers.

Glass is Natural—Glass is made from readily available domestic materials, such as sand, soda ash, limestone and "cullet," the industry term for furnace-ready scrap glass. The only material used in greater volumes than cullet is sand. The methods to make glass containers have been improved to benefit commercialization efficiencies but the process of glass making has remained in effect for thousands of years since the Egyptians.

Glass is Recyclable—Recycling has always been a part of glass container manufacturing. Manufacturers benefit from recycling in several ways — it reduces consumption of raw materials, extends the life of plant equipment such as furnaces, and saves energy. Glass container manufacturing is an example of closed-loop recycling, meaning old bottles and jars can be turned into new containers over and over again. This may consciously or subconsciously appeal to environmentally conscious customers, and may continue to help sales into the future.

Glass Is an Excellent Barrier—Because glass is inert, it will not affect the taste or react with the container's contents. Glass is impermeable and nonporous. Consumers have confirmed that products taste better when served and stored in a glass container. Glass is sanitary and odorless. It provides the highest level of protection to ensure excellent shelf life and is highly regarded as the standard substrate for products very sensitive to oxygen ingress or loss, UV light protection, and long-term storage.

Glass Offers Versatility in Design—The clarity of glass and the ability of glass to capture light in unique ways are significant competitive advantages. The lead time for developing a new glass bottle continues to be improved to this day. Glass container manufacturers use state-of-the-art computer equipment to design new glass shapes and incorporate many decorating and label options. Proprietary packaging is driving more and more manufacturers away from "stock" shaped containers.

Glass Still Equals Class For Most Beverages

Glass has been a mainstay in many product categories for millennia due to advantages that will always be appealing to customers.