bottle-boys-post-2-1-300x171
Campaign

“Singing” glass bottles inspire millennials to recycle 

1 min

experience-banner-300x167

5 Ways To Use Glass For Your Halloween Decorations At Home

With Halloween right around the bend, we’d like to share 5 ways to use glass around the house for your decorations. Nifty, crafty, and sometimes outright spine-chilling, these ideas will leave your house ready for the big day – the 31st of October!

2 min

international-year-glass-banner-300x167
Campaign

Join us in celebrating the International Year of Glass 

1 min

5-ways-you-can-help-close-the-glass-loop-e1725898153863-300x151

5 ways you can help close the glass loop

We all have a part to play in building a more sustainable world, starting with how we shop, all the way down to how we get rid of our rubbish. This summer, organisations involved in all stages of the glass collection and recycling value chain have launched Close the Glass Loop – a major glass recycling action plan for Europe.

3 min

About Friends of Glass

Friends of Glass is a community that supports all things glass packaging, as part of a more intentional lifestyle that starts with our everyday choices.

Learn more about us

Why Glass?

Learn why we love glass, and why we’re dedicated to promoting its numerous benefits to people all over the world.

Learn more about why

Take Action

Join a growing community of people who care about a better planet and a healthier lifestyle.

Discover more

Stories

Hear stories from the community, and discover all the reasons why choosing glass is better for us, as part of a more intentional lifestyle.

Learn more

In the midst of all the excitement and chaos of the season, it’s easy to overlook the original Christmas story: the Nativity. Even more often overlooked is the starring role that glass played in the both the nativity and its historic context – proving that if there were ever a material for the ages… it’s glass.  

They say we can learn a lot from the past, and if the ancient folks of Biblical times got anything right – it was their glass-centric attitude. Check out these nativity-themed glass moments… Perhaps they might even inspire you to rediscover glass this Christmas!   

1. Frankincense and Myrrh  

We all know the story – three wise men gifted a baby Jesus with Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh, the first Christmas gifts ever given. Although perfume might seem like an unusual choice of gift for a newborn baby , those men were certainly wise about their choice of packaging. In fact, glass perfume bottles have been around for nearly 3500 years! And given how laborious they were to make, they were often reused forever 

 Feeling inspired ? Recycle your own perfume bottles here.

2. Roman vases

Jesus was born into Roman times, and Romans were famous for their use of glass. Most notably, they met with recognition for creating beautifully designed vases and other vessels, often adorned with designs depicting Greek and Roman mythology. Why not emulate the Romans and gift a loved one an ornate glass vase this Christmas? Better yet, buy yourself one to display your seasonal flower arrangements: here are some of our favourites.

3. Food storage

A big part of the Nativity story is Mary and Joseph’s epic journey from Galilee to Judea in order to take part in Caesar’s census, resulting in their infamous stay in the stable. What you might not know? The food Mary and Joseph took with them on their journey was almost certainly stored in glass containers. Merchants and traders routinely packed foodstuffs in glass containers to ship across the Mediterranean and in Mary and Joseph’s time – virtually no other material was used to store food.  To this day, glass remains the safest and healthiest food storing option, being capable of preserving your food without any additives.  Find out more. 

So there you have it: glass really is the Christmas gift that keeps on giving. 

Related posts

View all articles

Discover how you can make an impact

From how we live at home to how we show up for the planet, our everyday choices can be the starting point for a more sustainable future.

Take action now