Consumers around the world prefer some of their foods and beverages to be packaged in glass but often struggle to find their favorite brands in glass on store shelves, according to research commissioned by Owens-Illinois Inc (O-I)., Toledo, Ohio.
In a global research study conducted by Siegel+Gale, more than 2,900 consumers in nine countries were polled about their preferences regarding food and beverage packaging. The study found the preference for glass packaging for some products is strong, such as a 93.5 percent preference for wine and a 66 percent preference for non-alcoholic beverages.
“For the first time ever, we confirmed what we’ve theorized for some time—consumers recognize the advantages of glass and prefer it over other packaging materials,” says Carol Gee, chief communications officer for O-I.
According to an O-I news release, consumers worldwide rate glass highly on five factors: purity, safety, quality, versatility and recyclability.
Glass packaging, though, may not always be available on store shelves. Results from the food category show that 91 percent of consumers indicate they prefer glass, but glass only holds about 10 percent of the market share for packaging in the food category.
“This strongly suggests that glass packaging is not as widely available on store shelves as consumers would like, either because their preferred brand does not use glass or their favorite store does not carry it in glass,” says Gee. “We hope food and beverage producers pay attention to this new data and bring more glass packaging options back to consumers.”
The data shows 84 percent of respondents prefer glass as a container for beer, particularly in European countries. Approximately 91 percent of consumers surveyed prefer food packaged in glass, especially in Latin America (95 percent). Finally, glass is preferred by wine drinkers over any other packaging, by as much as 98 percent.
O-I, a manufacturer of what it calls 100 percent recyclable glass containers, employs more than 23,000 people with 80 manufacturing facilities in 22 countries. In 2008, its net sales were $7.9 billion. More information on the company can be found at www.o-i.com.