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“Singing” glass bottles inspire millennials to recycle 

1 min

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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

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Join us in celebrating the International Year of Glass 

Despite its endless qualities, not all glass varieties can be collected in your household recycling.

1 min

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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.

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Why Glass?

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

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Take Action

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

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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.

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How does glass packaging elevate the experience? 

Why do people love glass? Iconic in design, stylish, premium, authentic and pure… People ‘feel’ glass and love glass. Major moments in our life, from weddings to celebrating a new job, would not be complete without the sound of a cork popping from a champagne bottle, or two bottles “clinking” together to mark the moment. 

Combining experience and design: What makes glass a favourite choice for consumers?  

Whether it’s iconic perfumes, artisanal spirits or everyday kitchen staples, nothing denotes style or adds to the experience like glass packaging. 

Glass has the power to transform any moment, large or small, into a real celebration. An ancient material with a rich cultural history, glass packaging is timeless for a reason. Made of inert materials found in nature – sand, soda ash and limestone – glass is a formula that’s worked its magic for thousands of years. And it’s not just food and drink that glass can preserve perfectly – flacons are a cool and beautiful way to preserve the scents and cosmetics that you love! 

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Products in glass look better 

Glass feels premium, looks better and stands out on the shelves when seen next to products packaged in other materials. For generations, glass packaging designs have been synonymous with elegance and sophistication. Imagine how much the value of wine would diminish if it always came in a plastic bottle or carton box, instead of in glass? People prefer to buy wine in glass bottles, because it adds to the overall drinking experience. Its transparent nature allows consumers to see the product in its full glory, enhancing the visual appeal. Whether it’s a bottle of wine or a jar of artisanal jam, glass packaging adds a touch of luxury on special occasions, making it a favourite for brands aiming to project a premium image – and for when we want to treat ourselves.

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Glass evokes all our senses 

The sensory experience that glass provides is unmatched. The cool touch of a glass bottle, the sound of a glass jar being opened, the clinking noise of two bottles coming together to mark a celebration, and even how it feels in the hand all contribute to a better user experience. This tactile interaction with glass packaging often enhances the perceived quality of the product inside, making it more enjoyable for the consumer. 

Glass comes in endless stylish designs 

Glass packaging has many talents, and looking good is just one of them!  It’s not just about excellent technical properties – packaging design ignites creativity. Each bottle, flacon or jar comes with its own personality. Glass can be moulded into almost any shape, colour and texture imaginable, helping to build a unique and authentic brand that reflects the excellence of the product inside. We can choose to serve and package products in crystal instead of clear glass, when a more elegant look is needed. Adjusting the size, the neck, the body or the bottom can transform a Bordeaux wine bottle into a perfume bottle or even a jam jar. With many recycling possibilities and widespread glass collection across Europe, an empty bottle can be given a new life in under a month. 

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Glass can be reused in creative ways 

For the more creative among us, you can even decorate your home with DIY decorations made from glass! Whether you’re looking to cute ways to decorate your home for Christmas , or if you want to create create spooky treat jars for Halloween , glass can add colour and creativity to your household. Empty bottles and jars can become a table centrepiece for a special celebration, give your bathroom a glow-up to store makeup or homemade cosmetics, or become a unique arts and crafts project for the whole family to make together. The possibilities are endless.  

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What is the difference between glass and crystal?

All crystal is glass, but not all glass is crystal. How does that work? In this article, we will explain all the differences and similarities between these two versatile materials.

4 min

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4 Homemade Christmas Gifts to make this season

This year, why not skip the last-minute shopping trip and give those closest to you a meaningful Christmas gift? We’ve rounded up some of the best homemade Christmas presents we found online to bring you our top picks, with one special ingredient: glass. Read our article and discover 8 fun and easy Christmas gift ideas you can make at home.

5 min

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Why does glass design continue to appeal to people?

Whether it’s iconic perfumes, artisanal spirits or everyday kitchen staples, nothing denotes style quite like glass. If you’re reading this, you probably love glass in all its shapes and sizes. Have you ever wondered how your favourite products intentionally use glass design to convey a sense of their own brand identity and stand out on the shelves? In the words of La Fermière brand marketer Tina Tarpinian, “we’ll let our iconic packaging do the talking.”

4 min

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How is glass manufacturing evolving to face the future?

Have you ever seen a glass bottle being made? It involves taking an alchemy of ingredients and crafting, twisting, shaping and sculpting them into life – all in front of the dancing flames of the furnace. “That’s why I like to think of glass as a living thing,” says Trevor Philips, a Production and Engineering Director who has spent nearly 50 years in the heart of the industry.

4 min