Reusable glass sensible measure: "The consumer reaches for glass bottles"

• Industry figures show that consumers are increasingly buying glass
• Glass containers as a sustainable form of packaging to reduce disposable packaging and conserve resources
• Nielsen data and beverage association statistics prove: Sales of 1-liter returnable glass bottles almost doubled in the first half of 202

"We stand by reusable glass and see an increase in the reusable share as an important part of the measures to achieve the necessary collection rates for beverage bottles." This is how Frank van der Heijden, Managing Director for Sales and Marketing at Egger Getränke, comments on the current discussion that was held by Environment Minister Leonore Gewessler was set in motion with her three-point plan. "Consumers want reusable glass and buy more," says Van der Heijden - and the figures from the industry confirm this. Both the sales data from the beverage association and from AC Nielsen show a high increase in the 1-liter Reusable glass bottles - sales have almost doubled. And that with an overall - Corona-related - declining overall lemonade market. “These figures show that glass is bought when it is available,” says van der Heijden, and continues: “The share of reusable glass in the lemonade market will continue to increase. If the range is expanded and reusable glass bottles are widely available, these will also be bought more."

Better to reuse than collect

Van der Heijden knows what he's talking about - after all, Egger is a major player on the market with an annual filling capacity of 400 million beverages. The family company based in Unterradlberg / St. Pölten district put Austria's most modern glass filling plant into operation in February thanks to a EUR 25 million investment and has been filling non-alcoholic beverages in 1-liter returnable glass bottles since then. The investment showed a pioneering spirit - but it is already evident that the direction taken corresponds to the zeitgeist. “Reusable glass is clearly and undisputedly a relevant alternative as a form of packaging. If more and more drinks are offered in reusable glass bottles, then this automatically reduces the output of PET containers and thus the costs for collection, sorting and recycling can be reused.

Austrians know reusable

There is also a historical reason why returnable glass bottles are so well received in Austria. “Austrians know reusable, at the end of the 1990s the reusable share of beverages was over 80 percent.” And initial sales experience has already shown that glass is now being well received again. It is also ideal as a packaging material for beverages: it does not absorb anything, does not release anything and, thanks to its smooth surface, can be cleaned comparatively easily and with significantly less cleaning agent. In addition, glass bottles can be refilled up to 50 times and in the course of the recycling process there is no loss of material or quality - as is the case with other container shapes. "Glass can be made from glass as often as you like, that's unique," says Frank van der Heijden.

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