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:
London has really taken to the positive message of food in glass jars!
As the curtain closed on one capital’s most popular consumer events – the Country Living Spring Fair – hundreds of visitors had signed up to become friends of glass, and many more have a much clearer understanding of why it is important to use glass for food packaging.
And as people were queing up to enter the competition to ‘win a year’s supply of glass jam jars’ with the Jam Jar Shop, we had a surprise visit from one of last year’s competition winners.
Sally Francis, a friend of glass from Hampshire, had entered our competition at the Women’s Institute Real Jam Festival last November. She arrived on the Friends of Glass stand with a jar of her special « Zingy Orange Marmalade With Ginger « .
A former senior school head and now educational consultant, Sally finds time in her busy life to try many different recipes, but they all have one thing in common.
« I would only ever use a glass jar for my jams. It tastes and looks so much better, and I can use it time and time again. »
She was happy to share this message with the Country Living visitors.
Sally Francis (left) at the Friends of Glass area at Country Living with her friend Cathy Winfield and the Jam Jar Shop's Trevor Lorkings, and, of course, her jar of marmalade.
“Glass is great – not only because you can recycle it, but you can reuse it again and again”
Like the lady who we spoke to (pictured), Friends of Glass has had no trouble in finding new supporters at this year’s Country Living Spring Fair. With nearly 10,000 visitors flocking through the doors in just two days, the event is proving to be every bit as popular as its reputation suggests. The aisles are buzzing as visitors enjoy the wealth of inspiring ideas for home and garden.
Friends of Glass has barely had time to draw its breath as we talked glass packaging with all those who stopped by our stand. The competition to ‘win a year’s supply of jam jars’ with Jam Jar Shop is also proving a hit. Lots more entries and new Friends to meet are expected as the Fair builds to its crescendo at the weekend. We’ll keep you posted!
A beautiful Spring day heralded the opening of the popular Country Living Spring Fair (23-27 March, Business Design Centre, London), with hundreds of visitors eager to discover what delights the 400 exhibitors had to offer.
Friends of Glass was kept busy all day signing up lots of new Friends and receiving entries to our ‘win a year’s supply of jam jars’ competition. As guests on the Jam Jar Shop stand, we were ideally placed right next to the central isle and in clear sight of visitors as they moved through the show.
We were encouraged by the strong support for glass by all those we spoke to, with everyone without exception in agreement that they wanted glass packaging to remain a choice on store shelves.
One of the UK’s most keenly awaited consumer events of the year, the Country Living Spring Fair, kicks off this week at the Business Design Centre in Islington, London (23- 27th March).
Friends of Glass will be joining 400 other exhibitors who will be showcasing a fabulous range of lifestyle products and ideas throughout the five day event. We’re really looking forward to talking to as many of the 23,000 expected visitors as we can about Friends of Glass and encouraging them to show us their support by signing up to become a Friend.
We will be re-running our very successful ‘win a year’s supply of jam jars’ competition together with Jam Jar Shop, on whose stand we are guests (M114).
Friends of Glass and Jam Jar Shop collaborated during 2010 at two popular events – the WI Real Jam Festival and the BBC Good Food Show. We had well over a thousand conversations with visitors to these events and hundreds of new Friends join us. We were bowled over by the enthusiasm for glass with many consumers keen to find out how they could get the message to the retailers and brands that they want to be able to continue to choose glass.
Look out for our next post which will be reported directly from the Country Living Spring Fair.
