Consumer demand for glass packaging is rising

Grocery stores are seeing a rise in consumer demand for glass-packaged products, but shelf supply hasn’t kept up. According to a study by O-I, consumers chose glass as their packaging preference, but 66% of them cited a lack of availability as the main factor preventing them from buying it. In today’s fast-moving food market, it’s rare to see such a large gap between supply and demand. It’s even rarer for brands to be able to capitalize on it with one simple switch. By opting for glass, brands can stand out, pad their launch, and give shoppers what they want.  

Let’s break down why consumers are calling for more glass and how brands can benefit from offering it. 

Glass has unmatched value for consumers

While consumers may put up with other packaging types to get their desired product, glass is the packaging they want — it offers benefits, unlike plastic or aluminum. Glass is completely transparent, which gives shoppers an unparalleled preview of the product itself. Consumers also appreciate that glass doesn’t get in the way of a food’s flavor, with 61% of consumers claiming that glass conveys better taste than other packaging materials, as the above survey found. There are no barriers to great flavor, as glass is made with just four natural ingredients: sand, soda ash, limestone, and recycled glass. This is a major plus for health-conscious shoppers, as they don’t have to worry about microplastics or unnecessary chemicals in glass packaging. 

When choosing glass, consumers also consider benefits aside from their immediate product experience, namely enhanced sustainability. Even before they’ve bought a product in glass, shoppers often imagine ways they can reuse the packaging when it’s empty. Moreover, 57.9% of consumers are influenced to buy a product when they can reuse the packaging it came in, according to the above study.  

If they don’t end up reusing the glass in their homes, consumers can easily toss it in the recycling bin. In a matter of weeks, the same container can be processed, recycled, and back on store shelves. It’s infinitely recyclable, and shoppers never have to second guess if glass is the most sustainable choice.  

The brand benefits of glass

For brands, launching in glass can offer way more than just stand-out shelf presence — but only if they pick the right manufacturer. By partnering with O-I Glass, brands gain access to a unique packaging approach designed to streamline production while encouraging total customization. Their award-winning in-house design team is perfectly situated to create stellar visuals for brands while understanding manufacturing constraints.  

O-I’s cross-functional approach is based on over a century of marketing, production, and design experience. By leveraging it, brands can skip headaches caused by R&D, nix the back-and-forth of outsourcing design, and get to market faster.  

Better packaging for consumers. Better production for brands. Get a world of benefits by launching in glass with O-I.