Glass is the preferred packaging choice of consumers all over the world. It does a remarkable job of delivering value, sustainability and innovation to food and drinks companies around the globe. 

However, no packaging can rest on its laurels. That is why global glassmaker O-I is determined to keep innovating in glass to make more intriguing, appealing and functional containers for its customers and to improve the environmental footprint of both its own operations and the cradle to cradle performance of its products.

The company employs more than 24,000 people at 81 plants in 21 countries and delivers safe, effective and sustainable glass packaging solutions to a growing global marketplace. Its UK operations service customers from small regional brewers to multinational operators in the wine, spirits, beer, soft drinks and food sectors.

As the life cycle for new products become shorter, the importance of innovation grows. In terms of packaging, innovation results from the fact that brand owners are increasingly looking for differentiation through new and outstanding designs, while simultaneously keeping supply chain costs under close control. O-I has responded to this by tripling the size of its global product innovation and R&D teams since 2008 and investing over $40 million in research and development last year.

One result of this focus is a new technology that combines the benefits of on-pack branding like logos, slogans and designs with product visibility, functional benefits and easy labelling. This is internal embossing, which makes it possible to incorporate a three-dimensional, decorative feature on the internal side of the container, while keeping the exterior surface smooth.

The pioneering product for this new technology is the “Vortex®” bottle for Miller Lite beer from MillerCoors. The design of the bottle incorporates grooves inside the neck that form a spiral known as “Vortex®”.  It has also been taken up enthusiastically in Asia Pacific where O-I has partnered with DB Breweries (DB) to launch New Zealand’s first application of internal embossing on the brewer’s Tui Blond Lager bottle and with Western Australia’s Gage Roads Brewing Co. for Wahoo Premium Ale.

Innovation is not just a question of product and process. O-I wants to do business differently as well, by offering far more than just being a glassmaker. For example, the company’s developing strategic partnership with key customers is shown by the acquisition of VDL Company in France. This acquisition is the result of a new strategic relationship with Nestlé Waters, the world’s leading bottled water company. VDL’s Vergèze plant is located near the Nestlé Waters’ Perrier bottling facility and has a long-standing supply relationship with Nestlé Waters. Under the terms of the acquisition agreement, O-I will become the leading supplier of glass bottles for the Perrier brand, as well as Nestlé Waters’ other water brands worldwide, reinforcing glass’s position in this important category.

New ideas like these strike to the heart of what O-I aims to encourage with its Glass Is Life™ campaign (www.GlassIsLife.com). Glass Is Life ™ encourages users of glass packaging to state, in their own words, what makes glass special to them. The campaign highlights the unique qualities of glass and its unmatched ability to build successful food and beverage brands.

This campaign proposes six reasons to choose glass. Glass packed products taste just as their makers intended; they come into contact with no linings and are protected by the barrier properties of the container. Glass is an all-natural, non-toxic material; consumers trust it to preserve their health. This is shown by the decision of Feel Good Drinks, the home of 100% natural drinks, has launched its 275ml glass packed juice drinks in a 4 pack format into the grocery sector following a very successful introduction in the on trade. 

Steve Cooper, marketing director for Feel Good Drinks says, “Our drinks offer a better quality, healthier option as they are made with 100% natural ingredients, provide one of your five a day and contain absolutely no added sugar. The glass packaging reinforces this quality and ensures that our drinks not only look good but also taste good.”

Glass is made from natural ingredients, is totally recyclable and can safely be used over and over again to produce new glass containers. Recent studies have shown that the carbon footprint of a recycled glass bottle is equal to or better than that of all competitive materials. O-I understands how brand owners are under increasing scrutiny over the environmental performance of their packaging. The company’s cradle to cradle life cycle assessment has been well received for delivering clear facts and figures on the impacts of 100% recyclable glass and other materials throughout their lives. 

Global initiatives such as the company’s announcement of ambitious sustainability targets and the Lean+Green™ lightweight range of wine bottles exemplify the commitment with which O-I takes its responsibility. 

Lean+Green™ shows that environmental improvement is not simply a drive to the lowest possible weight. Customer expectations need to be catered for, hence O-I has “rightweighted” containers in a scalable solution: 400g down to 345g (and in some cases 300g) for value table wines, 460g to 410g in a design which is seen by vintners as best in class and a version for premium wines reduced from 550g to 460g. Customers are hunting for savings while enjoying the lowest CO2 footprint and the 345g variant comprehensively beats the 54g PET bottle for carbon footprint. O-I’s locations close to all vineyards and its global organisation means it can manage a consistent range and deploy production capability where needed by the global customer base. Beyond the weight equation, Lean+Green™ adds label protection to wine bottles, thereby creating both direct and indirect savings for its customers.

Another benefit of glass is that it elevates brand appeal, regardless of product category or cost. This point is made by the redesign of the Dewar’s range of blended Scotch whiskies. The design, by New York agency Spring Design Partners Inc., develops the innovative ‘wave’ in the bottle, which is a feature of the brand’s White Label, 12 Year Old and 18 Year Old whiskies.

The Dewar’s range shows how effectively glass can be utilised in an innovative way to improve brand standout for a family of products attacking a variety of price points and targeted at different audiences. The ‘wave’ has been created without losing any strength from the finished container and creates a natural protection for the embossed medals.

Glass is highly versatile: it moves seamlessly between shelf, microwave, table and refrigerator. It works for all kinds of food and beverages and, being resealable, prolongs product life. Finally, the campaign builds on the transparency of glass. Consumers can normally see what they are buying, proving the brand owner has nothing to hide. That builds trust with consumers.

There is a chasm between what is available in glass and what consumers want to see in the material. Recent research by FEVE, the European trade association for the glass industry, revealed that 37% of consumers would prefer to buy their soft drinks in glass, but only 10% said that glass was the material they most often used for the category. This represents a huge unsatisfied demand for glass packaging, into which food and drinks brand owners can step with increasing confidence, secure in the knowledge that O-I will support them in terms of brand image, production excellence, sustainability and service.

For more information on working with O-I, contact Graham Caldwell on + 44 (0) 1259 218822 or e-mail graham@eu.o-i.com.

O-I (UK), Edinburgh Way, Harlow, Essex CM20 2UG

www.o-i.com
www.glassislife.com