From before man, to long into the future, glass will always be around.
Past
Glass has been around since before the origin of man. Obsidian, a naturally occurring form of glass, is often found within the mouth of volcanoes as a result of sand coming in contact with high temperature. Glass used by humans, however, goes all the way back to 4,000 BC in the form of glazing for stone beads.
Fast forward to 1500 BC in Egypt, when the first glass container was created. Methodology for creating these original forms of glass packaging varied from glass blowing to coving over a solid core.
Present
Modern glass making has incorporated technological advances to maintain quality and design of the product. Glass plants are able to make millions of glass containers per day in a variety of colours.
With a growing awareness of the link between waste and climate change, recycling glass packaging and containers saves them from being sent to landfills and mixing with other raw materials, ultimately saving energy.
Future
Given the basic natural elements of glass, it will always be around, but advances and technology is changing the material to become more durable and lightweight. Also, glass is starting to become more and more involved in different applications, for example as a transmission of information in opto-electronic devices as well as devices in the medical and scientific sectors.
The uses of glass are endless, and there isn’t a substance that better keeps out toxins and other chemical from leeching into our bodies. See this video to see more about how Glass Remains Glass.