GlassRite: Food, Soft Drinks & RTD
A large-scale demonstration of the viability and opportunities available to the food, soft drink and flavoured alcoholic beverage industry via lightweighting and rationalisation of glass containers.
The food project aims to investigate, through trials and research, the technical, economic and practical aspects of lightweighting food, soft drink and ready to drink (RTD) glass containers.
The objectives of the project are to encourage brand owners, retailers and glass manufacturers to:
- Affect a comprehensive lightweighting programme for high volume brand and own-label food, soft drinks and RTD containers with retailers and brand owners, i.e. cooking sauces, jams, pickles and coffee jars;
- Develop a showcase branded lightweight bottle, i.e. cordial, mineral water, carbonated soft drinks, RTD or olive oil;
- Realise a direct household waste saving of 20,000 tonnes of glass during the project. This will include the lightweighting of glass containers manufactured in the UK, or where necessary, country of origin;
- Where applicable, encourage product rationalisation activities which could lead to an overall reduction in food container glass usage;
- Where applicable, address the UK colour imbalance by increasing the manufacture of UK glass by encouraging increased use of recycled glass in food, soft drink and RTD containers; and
- Encourage the take up of the findings of the research across the sector.
The project started in the summer of 2006, and will be completed at the end of March 2008.
The project trials include engagement with:
- Brand owners
- Retailers
- Fillers and packers
- All major UK glass manufacturers
Trials will include:
- Development of food, soft drink and RTD glass container specifications;
- Performance testing;
- Filling and retail sales trials;
- Full scale implementation of new products;
- Where applicable, consumer perception studies of jars and bottles; and
- Cost benefit and carbon savings.
