The days of people throwing reusable glass bottles into rubbish bins might be a thing of the past. Paul Ketz, who studies eco-design at the University of Cologne, has invented a collection ring – known in German as a Pfandring – which goes over public bins. Instead of throwing bottles into the bin, people place them in the ring where they can be easily accessed.
In many parts of Europe, a deposit is applied to the cost of reusable bottles when they are sold and it can only be recovered when the bottle is returned. Ketz designed the ring so that reusable bottles are not mixed in with general rubbish. Some people make a living collecting and returning the bottles, and Ketz wanted to make this as easy as possible and reduce the health risks for deposit collectors.
The collection ring was designed as part of Ketz’s university course, and has been developed in cooperation with the local Cologne waste disposal authority AWB. For AWB, the collection ring means both a cleaner city and reduced costs as the reusable glass does not need to be sorted from other rubbish.
With its simplicity and ease of use, the collection ring has already proved popular during six months of testing in Cologne. Ketz (and the Friends of Glass!) hopes it will be adopted by other cities.
Sunday 22 April will see more than a billion people around the world participate in Earth Day 2012. The aim is to mobilise the planet from the ground up and send out a message that the Earth won’t wait for governments to take action on climate change.
Organisers are asking people around the world to perform at least one green act on Earth Day. More than one billion individual green actions are expected. They range from simple acts, such as walking to the bottle bank and recycling your glass containers, to grand projects such as planting a new forest.
To learn more about Earth Day 2012 and how you can get involved, go to www.earthday.org/2012 and watch this video:
On 26th March, FEVE published the latest numbers on glass recycling in Europe.
This is what it looks like:
Glass Recycling in Europe, 2010
In 2010, 68% of household glass in Europe was recycled.
This is what it represents:
- 68% is equal to 25 million glass bottles and jars.
- 20 out 25 million (80%) were recycled back into bottles and jars.
- 80% of household glass requires about 12 million tons of the planet’s natural resources (sand, limestone, soda ash) and releases 7 million tons of CO2 into our planet’s atmosphere to produce.
- 7 million tons of CO2 is approximately the same amount attributed to a small nation of cars on the road per year*.
Every 10% increase in recycled glass = a decrease of
-10% in sulfur dioxide (SO2)
-6% in nitrogen oxide (NOx)
-17% in carbon dioxide (CO2)
-2.5%°in electricity and natural gas
-6°C in furnace temperatures (during manufacturing process)
-9.5% in raw materials.
(Source: Glass Packaging Institute)
This is what it means:
These characteristics make glass a clear example to follow in the ambitious strategy of the European Commission to make the European Union a ‘resource efficient’ economy where recycling is the key factor to waste reduction and where waste is considered as a valuable resource.
(Conclusion of the Feve Study.)
Trying to balance a healthy diet around local and seasonal produce can often be quite tricky.
If we have to rule out every food source that comes wrapped in environmentally-harmful packaging, whilst adhering to the World Health Organisation’s 5-a-Day Program encouraging us to eat a minimum of five fruit and vegetables per day, many of us are left juggling a cabbage, potato and apple throughout winter.
Playing on our idea of fast-food, SLOW FAST FOOD offers slow-to-perish, fast-to-eat food - in this case, fruit and vegetables.
As the brand name suggests, there’s more than meets the eye. Not only does the brand gently nudge us to re-evaluate our associations with fast-food by replacing a burger with a vegetable, the simple, all-glass design is an accolade to the natural, purity of each ingredient it contains.
This what they promise: Combining fresh produce in a design traditionally used to conserve food, SLOW FAST FOOD offers seasonally cultivated fruit and vegetables, contained in hand-filled glass pots ready to be enjoyed now or later.
The Facts:
Glass jars have been around since the 1800s but it wasn’t until the after 1900 that home canning was encouraged and seen as a way to provide better diets, preserve flavor, food longevity and reduce the cost of living. By the end of the century, the decline of the family farm, the low cost of commercially canned foods and the widespread use of freezers had made home canning more of a hobby than a habit.
The Trends: In the new millennium, we have other things on our mind. With the growing concerns over global-warming, as well as our valid worries over food safety, the relationships between food, flavor, health, packaging and sustainability are now at the forefront of our thoughts.
A trend among consumers is emerging: the desire to live a healthy and sustainable lifestyle. This has been seen in the rapid rise of organic food and farming, the return to popularity of home-cooking and preserving, and an increasing awareness and interest in our foods’ sources and ingredients.
More and more of us are realizing that the future of our planet may very well depend on where we get our food, what we choose to eat and how we decide to store it.
The Research: Commissioned by FEVE (the European Container Glass Federation), the InSites study asked over consumers in 17 countries across Europe what they thought about various packaging materials.
In a nutshell, the survey reveals:
- 65% of consumers prefer glass because it preserves taste,
- 63% perceive that it is safest health-wise,
- 50% say it is the most environmentally-friendly.
The same kind of survey was carried out in the States in 2006 with the same results:
Clearly, consumers agree that glass is their preferred packaging for consumer health and the environment.
Nutritious and Delicious The InSites survey goes on to show that the preference for glass is particularly high when it comes to certain food and drink categories where flavor is everything, such as spirits, wines and beers. More than that, glass also preserves the natural aromas, tastes and textures, making it the perfect material to store fresh and perishable products as fruit juices, smoothies and tomato-based sauces.
Glass is the material of choice for chefs, in particular, Geir Skeie who knows that glass is a true food lover. The purity of glass ensures that food retains its great flavour.
WATCH THE VIDEO:
Recipes and Instructions
Why not give it a go? Here are some handy links to get you started:
UK supermarkets are misleading consumers over pricing according to an episode of the BBC’s Panorama programme aired in December. Panorama found that consumers were being charged more for larger ‘value packs’ than the equivalent in smaller packaging. For example, the BBC found a one kilogram pack of margarine spread cost £3.20 at one supermarket, more than double the cost of two 500 gram packs at £1.50 each. At another supermarket, the same 500 gram packages were £1 each, compared to a cost of £3.70 for the one kilogram ‘value’ pack.
All of the supermarkets interviewed denied deliberately misleading consumers. However, the BBC found 17 examples of this type of pricing within 13 kilometres of the presenter’s home.
The findings make the Friends of Glass wonder about the supermarkets’ claims that glass is more expensive than other packaging materials. Many UK supermarkets are forcing manufacturers to switch to plastics, citing the additional environmental cost of transporting glass. However, they simply ignore the total emissions over the lifecycle of each packaging material. When these are taken into account, glass is far ahead of the competition.
The supermarkets are also ignoring the opinions of their customers. A survey carried out by InSites and published in May 2011 found that glass remains the consumers’ preference for food and drinks. In the UK alone, the survey found that 64% of respondents choose glass packaging for a special occasion beverage. When asked why they prefer glass, 38% of UK consumers mentioned that glass preserves the taste of the food or drink better than other materials. Longevity of the packaged product was cited as a reason for choosing glass by 30% of UK consumers, while 29% mentioned that their favourite brands were in glass packaging.
Is glass packaging also your number one? Then let’s pass a clear message to manufacturers and supermarkets that glass packaging needs to come back and stay for good. Because it’s up to all of us to question policies and raise awareness on this issue. So time to send out some letters. Are you in? :-)
Packaging which showcases a product’s sustainability credentials is more likely to attract the attention of consumers according to research from The Big Picture, a UK-based design research agency. The Big Picture found that shopper’s reject products with more rational designs, even if they do have the best environmental credentials.
Based on a series of in-depth interviews with consumers, the agency found that consumers judged products negatively if they perceived them as having unnecessary packaging or using materials which are not friendly to the environment. In these cases, consumers were not influenced by recycle-friendly logos or other claims on the packaging.
The research got us wondering what factors influence you when you are making a purchase decision? Is price or the packaging material more important? Do you read all of the environmental information on a label, or do you simply select products based on your perception of the packaging material? Let us know what you think by voting on the Friends of Glass Facebook page!
One of the joys of the festive season is the array of yummy food that we get to try. But have you ever worried that your bin is as full as you are? UK website Love Food, Hate Waste estimates that 7.2 million tonnes of food are wasted each year in the UK alone. Reducing that to zero would save as much carbon dioxide as removing one in five cars off the country’s roads. The problem is so bad that the European Union’s Agriculture Committee has called on member countries to halve food waste by 2025.
One of the easiest things we can all do to reduce our food waste is to buy foodstuffs in glass. Why? Well firstly, glass containers are usually easy to reseal. You can just use as much as you need, refrigerating the leftovers until you need them. Glass is also impermeable to air, ensuring that any food you store in the glass container will be kept fresh for longer.
Glass is Life™ is a global marketing campaign which was started in 2011 by the world’s leading glass packaging producer: Owens-Illinois, Inc. (O-I). Like the Friends of Glass, Glass is Life™ focuses the conversation on glass packaging and reminds people that glass is the purest, most natural and widely-preferred packaging container.
The Glass is Life™ website features some great video testimonials from ‘Glass Advocates’ including brand owners, CEOs, chefs, mums, environmentalists and designers. In their own way, each Advocate outlines the taste, health and sustainability benefits of glass. You can also join the Glass is Life™ conversation from the website and even download your own piece of virtual glass art. You can also get involved through the Glass is Life™ Facebook page.
The campaign was recently rewarded with an award for Best Integrated Campaign by BtoB Magazine. We from Friends of Glass were thrilled to hear about this great news and wish our colleagues from Glass is Life™ all the best with their upcoming campaigns and actions.
Just like Glass is Life™, we believe the future of packaging lies in the use of glass. Not only in terms of sustainability and recyclability, but also when we talk about food preservation and our health.
We see it as our mission not only to inform people about the dangers of certain packaging materials, but also to offer them a clear solution, namely glass.
Therefore we believe in a more practical approach. On our channels you not only find great recipes and decor tips you can use on a daily basis, we also provide useful recycling and health tips and even a page where you can request a bottle bank to be installed in your area. There are also games where you can make music (from our German Friends) or pass a bottle to a friend.
In short, glass has so much to offer whether we’re talking about design, art, health, recyclability or sustainability. We, together with Glass is Life™, already believe in the future of glass and have made it our challenge to make this world a glassy place. Are you in?
It’s the European Week for Waste Reduction and the EU and member states are using the occasion to promote a range of sustainable waste reduction initiatives. These include actions to reduce paper and food waste and encouraging the development of products that can be repaired or reused.
Another theme in 2011 focuses on reducing the amount of packaging which goes into the waste stream. This is an area where glass packaging shines as it’s clearly not garbage if it is recycled correctly. You can find lots of information about glass recycling on the Friends of Glass site and test your recycling skills with our bottle bank test!
With the Week for Waste Reduction, the EU aims to create a pan-European action community. To gauge whether the initiative is a success, the community will monitor the amount of garbage going to landfill. The goal is to develop actions that will change people’s behaviour and make a real reduction in garbage.
One of the easiest things we can all do to reduce our garbage is to take out the packaging material! Some people might think glass is heavy, but have you ever considered the fact that glass can make your dustbin lighter? Instead of including glass in your rubbish and making your dust-bin heavy, take it to your local bottle bank. And if you don’t have a bottle bank in your area, why not request one through the Friends of Glass site?
Below is a cute video that the Week for Waste Reduction team prepared to remind us about the need to reduce the amount of waste that goes to landfill
The days of people throwing reusable glass bottles into rubbish bins might be a thing of the past. Paul Ketz, who studies eco-design at the University of Cologne, has invented a collection ring – known in German as a Pfandring – which goes over public bins. Instead of throwing bottles into the bin, people place them in the ring where they can be easily accessed.
