European study shows that German consumers want glass

Glass is the first choice food and beverage packaging material for German and European consumers. This is confirmed in a recent study commissioned by the Brussels-based Fédération Européenne du Verre d’ Emballage (Feve), the European Container Glass Federation, which was presented at an online press conference on 20 April. A total of 6,200 consumers in 12 European countries were surveyed in what is assumed to be one of the largest studies ever conducted by the packaging industry.

The Feve study shows that glass is especially popular as a packaging material in Germany. Many people are concerned about the risk that certain packaging materials may have on the foods and drinks they buy. More than 70 percent of the German survey respondents are convinced that glass packaging is the best at preserving the original taste and nutritional value of their food and beverages while over half of them say that glass is the safest packaging material for health reasons.

64 percent of German respondents stated that glass is the most ecological packaging material and 92 percent of them confirmed that it has the best recycling properties. 93 percent of respondents put this knowledge into practice and recycle their glass bottles, making a valuable contribution to environmental protection because glass is 100% recyclable without any quality impairments. Old glass can be reintroduced into the waste material recovery cycle an infinite number of times to produce new glass packaging.

The Feve survey addressed the issue of whether consumers would buy products in glass packaging if they had the choice. It discovered that health and environment considerations are now more important to consumers than convenience. Dominique Tombeur, current Feve president, summed up the survey results as follows: "In Germany and in other European countries, consumers want, appreciate and choose glass when given the choice. The survey findings will hopefully encourage retailers to stock products in glass packaging because that’ s what consumers want."