Is glass packaging suitable? With the mass production of bottles and a variety of sizes and volumes, modern humans have managed to consider glass containers as an important element in packaging. Nowadays, hundreds of types of goods and materials are packaged in glass and offered to the sales market with superior quality.

Generally, it must be said that glass is an ideal material for packaging containers due to its combination of functionality, hygiene, and aesthetics. A notable example is that in many developed countries, major food producers (especially children’s food) have incorporated the use of glass containers into their practices. Glass is used for packaging food products such as fruit juice, tomato paste, pickles, mayonnaise, vegetable oil, and baby food.

The science of glass and glassblowing has been present in Iran for a long time and is still growing. For this reason, one of the oldest packaging containers, especially for food products, is glass containers. The use of glass for various types of packaging has always seen an upward trend after World War II. This is because fast and continuous production methods and the automation of bottle production and filling have allowed producers to scale up and keep prices low. As a result, researchers have found and continue to find ways to improve the mechanical and chemical resistance of glass containers.

With the development of glass shaping in the 17th and 18th centuries, more possibilities were created for producing various shapes and decorative items. The name of the manufacturer and the type of glass could be engraved on it, which also expressed the identity of the factory. With the technological advancements in the 18th and 19th centuries, the prices of various glass products began to decline.

«Owens» invented the first rotary machine for producing glass bottles in 1889. Immediately, glass bottles in diverse shapes and sizes became economically attractive for consumer products. From the early 19th century until the 1960s, glass bottles dominated the liquid product market. A modern machine produces 20,000 bottles daily. When metal and plastic packaging became widespread in the 1970s, glass packaging was used for high-value products. Today, glass is utilized as a robust packaging material for various applications.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Glass Packaging

Glass is chemically inert, meaning it does not react with its contents. The taste and flavor of the product packaged in glass are preserved without change.

Glass is impermeable, odorless, and hygienic.

Glass containers possess good durability and can be made in different shapes, sizes, and colors.

Glass is transparent, allowing buyers to see its contents, and enabling sellers to showcase them in stores.

Weight, fragility, and the price of glass compared to metal and plastic products have somewhat reduced the popularity of glass packaging, but for high-quality products requiring better preservation, glass remains an effective packaging solution.

Recycling Glass Packaging

Glass constitutes five percent of the weight and two percent of the volume of solid waste.

Unlike paper, which produces steam and electricity when burned, burning glass is not a good proposition. Glass does not generate thermal energy for producing steam and electricity because, unlike paper which burns, glass simply melts.

Burying glass does not preserve its value, therefore recycling products is usually the best option.

Recycling glass saves a relatively good amount of energy; using recycled glass for making new products uses 40 percent less energy than making these products from raw materials.

The fresh materials for making glass consist of sand, sodium carbonate, and limestone. Old glass can easily be transformed into bottles and wide-mouth jars or products such as fiberglass insulation.

How is glass recycled?

Preparing glass that has been emptied of contents is easy; all you need to do is remove the caps or corks and wash the glass with water. The most common request from recyclers is sorting the glass by color. Since the colors of glass cannot be cleaned and removed once the glasses are made in various colors, recyclers can’t use shards of colored glass or glass paste.

Why do factories package their foods and beverages in green or brown glass? Because colored glass preserves certain light-sensitive food items and beverages. You cannot recycle all glass products, such as light bulbs, porcelain dishes, ceramics, mirror glass, window glass, and containers whose materials differ from those used in bottles and glass jars. Therefore, they cannot be mixed with recyclable glass.

Conclusion

Consumers prefer glass packaging for its quality, cleanliness, taste, product protection, and long shelf life.

The goal of Vista Pack Company is to cater to all tastes in the packaging field, providing the highest quality machinery, customer satisfaction, and appropriate after-sales service in line with enhancing the name and progress of our beloved country. Transform your products with Vista Pack packaging machinery under the brand name Vista Pack.

Glass packaging | Vista Pack

The impact of using a plywood door on energy saving in the building

Is decorative brick the same as ornamental brick?

What is the opposite of the palm?

Screw Nut: Power and Precision in Industrial Connections