The Glass Packaging Institute (GPI) is teaming up with Keep America Beautiful Inc. (KAB), the nation's largest volunteer-based community action and education organization, to promote GPI’s Recycle Glass Week and KAB’s America Recycles Day, a nationally-recognized day for community-driven initiatives dedicated to promoting and celebrating recycling in the United States.

“GPI is delighted to partner with such an extraordinary organization to advance recycling in communities across the country,” says Joseph Cattaneo, president of the Glass Packaging Institute. “Keep America Beautiful’s America Recycles Day and GPI’s Recycle Glass Week are two great events that share a common purpose: educating consumers about the environmental benefits of recycling and encouraging action.”

“Uniting our resources, networks and constituents to promote recycling helps amplify our shared message,” said Matthew M. McKenna, president and CEO of Keep America Beautiful, Inc. “Recycling is the easiest thing that any individual or organization can do to save energy, protect our treasured natural resources, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions. And it has never been more important.”

During GPI’s second annual Recycle Glass Week, September 12-18, communities across the U.S. will unite with glass container manufacturers, suppliers, and recyclers, to hold local activities and events to build awareness and boost glass bottle recycling. Check out the events happening in your area. More are added every day.

About a dozen mini-factories are in constant motion at Quest Industries’ Hillside, NJ glass package decoration facility. High-tech automation meets hand-made attention to detail at each Santa-like workshop.

At one line, clear glass bottles for cosmetics, which hold perhaps two ounces, make their way around a series of stations: an emerald-green ink is sprayed on all but the rim, then it rides conveyor like to where a screen printed label is applied and cured using a UV light, and finally the tear-drop shaped bottle is mechanically turned just enough for the application of a pressure sensitive label on the bottle back.

And so it goes at each small factory. From glass bottles that hold a few ounces to ones that hold over two liters and in every imaginable curve, angle, and shape. They all pass through a myriad of decoration processes to create eye-popping, premium glass packages. “Most products are going to have to go on a couple of lines to get the decoration complete,” says Shri Pradhan, Quest V.P. Business Development. “But everything can be done under the same roof.”

Started in 1999, Quest has built a loyal customer following in the cosmetics, wine, spirits, and beverage markets. And their operations have expanded. “To meet the needs of west coast customers and reduce transportation requirements and costs, we opened the Stockton, California plant,” says Pradhan. “This increased our customer base and virtually eliminated any coast-to-coast transportation.” The third facility was acquired in Frostburg, MD. “It’s also proven a strategic location for our customers, like the Kentucky distillers, as well as being close to glass manufacturing plants,” says Pradhan.

GPI has launched the “Recycle Glass Week e-hunt”, a virtual scavenger hunt to educate consumers about the value of glass bottle recycling. Little Bottle, an animated character created by Saint-Gobain Containers, will guide recycling enthusiasts, glass lovers, and green people everywhere through this easy online search for a chance to win iPod shuffles, t-shirts, cash, and more. Check out participant tweets about recycling glass

“We hope the recycle e-hunt proves a fun way to educate about the environmental benefits of glass container recycling, and that it will encourage people to recycle more glass bottles and jars,” says GPI president Joseph Cattaneo. “Recycling glass saves energy, reduces use of raw materials, and lessens CO2 emissions. Recycling your glass containers will help glass container manufacturers to meet the goal to use 50 percent recycled glass in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013.”

GPI has partnered with Earth911.com, O-I, Race Across America, and Saint-Gobain Containers to host recycle e-hunt clues. GPI will announce recycle e-hunt prize winners during GPI’s second annual Recycle Glass Week, September 12-18. Start the e-hunt now

Oceanside, CA: Team racers started the competition in Oceanside on June 12th where GPI’s Recycle Glass Week and Oceanside Recycles! representatives Colleen Foster and Jessica Moen greeted 3,000 racers, fans, and residents with “green” giveaways (including organic t-shirts, glass water bottles, reusable backpacks, and more), provided local recycling information, and collected glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers (courtesy of Solid Waste & Recycling Oceanside). A local non-profit, Outside the Bowl, collected deposit proceeds from the recyclables. Little Bottle was also there to help send cyclists on their way from Oceanside to Annapolis. A big thanks to all the Oceanside folks!

Durango, CO: GPI’s Recycle Glass Week hosted a booth with the Four Corners Recycling Initiative’s Ashton Hargrave to deliver local recycling information and giveaways to community residents on June 12th. Over 200 people turned out to support local recycling efforts and recycle their glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers. Recycling collection and pick-up was provided by the City of Durango. Thank you Durango!

Bloomington, Indiana: Anchor Glass, Saint-Gobain Containers, and GPI representatives greeted about 200 racers, fans, and residents with “green” giveaways (including organic t-shirts, glass water bottles, reusable backpacks, and more) and collected glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers on June 17th. The City of Bloomington provided and picked up the bins for beverage container recycling. Monroe County Waste Management District’s Elisa Pokral was there to encourage local recycling. Thank you Bloomington!

Oxford, Ohio: Glass container manufacturers and suppliers from Anchor Glass, O-I, Saint-Gobain Containers, and Spear showed strong support in Oxford for bottle-to-bottle recycling on June 18th. GPI’s Recycle Glass Week handed out prizes to residents who recycled their glass, plastic, and aluminum beverage containers. Dave Treleaven with the City of Oxford provided recycling information to the local community. The Butler County Solid Waste District and the City of Oxford provided and collected bins for recyclables. Thank you Oxford!

Annapolis, Maryland: GPI’s Recycle Glass Week and Leone Industry representatives were in Annapolis on June 19th to witness 10 teams of cyclists cross the finish line! Nearly 500 people showed up for the race finish and to show their support for recycling. We handed out prizes, including barbecue spices in glass jars, to community residents who pledged to recycle their glass container. Little Bottle also made an appearance to greet recyclers and team cyclists as they finished their 3,000+-mile journey from Oceanside to Annapolis. Congratulations 2010 Race Across America cyclists!

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Glass packaging manufacturer Owens-Illinois, Inc., has announced plans to significantly reduce energy consumption and carbon emissions across its worldwide operations over the next decade.

O-I recently conducted a complete life cycle assessment of the environmental impact of glass containers, which will serve as a baseline for tracking the company's progress. "Our recent life cycle assessment showed that glass already has a smaller carbon footprint than other packaging materials. But, we see room for additional improvement in the carbon footprint of glass and our company as the world's leading maker of glass packaging," said O-I Chief Executive Officer Al Stroucken.

With 2007 as a baseline, O-I intends to achieve by 2017 cuts in global energy consumption by 50%, a reduction in carbon dioxide-equivalent emission by 65%, and nearly double its use of recycled glass to reach of global average of 60% recycled content. More

Health conscious (87%) and environmentally conscious (83%) American consumers trust glass bottles and jars to protect their foods and beverages—and themselves—from harmful chemicals often found in alternative packaging materials, according to a survey of one thousand Americans conducted by Opinion Research for the Glass Packaging Institute.

“Glass is made from all-natural resources—sand, soda ash, limestone, and recycled glass—and with a 400-year history in the American marketplace, glass is the only packaging material 'generally recognized as safe' by the U.S. FDA for food and beverage contact,” says GPI president, Joseph Cattaneo. “Glass is the only packaging material that fully preserves the original taste of food and beverages.”

Consumers believe glass bottles and jars (60%) have the least negative impact on their health compared to other packaging materials, such as plastic (9%) and aluminum (7%). Two-thirds (66%) of respondents say knowing that a food or beverage container has an impact on their health influences their purchasing habits.

In fact, most (81%) respondents have seen, read, or heard that certain containers leach or seep chemicals into foods and beverages, and think glass bottles and jars (7%) are least likely to leach or seep chemicals while plastic bottles or containers are most likely (82%).

As the exclusive environmental sponsor for Race Across America’s (RAAM) 2010 cycling event, June 12-18, GPI’s Recycle Glass Week will help to host five race time stations: Oceanside, California (June 12th); Durango, Colorado (June 12th); Bloomington, Indiana (June 17th); Oxford, Ohio (June 18th); and Annapolis, Maryland (June 19th).

At each time station, local residents are welcome to stop by to recycle their glass bottles and jars, and other containers, for a chance to win organic Recycle Glass Week/Race Across America t-shirts, stickers, affinity bracelets, and endlessly recyclable glass water bottles courtesy of Saint-Gobain Containers. Local recycling representatives will also be on hand to talk with community residents about local recycling programs.

RAAM has 54 time stations across the 3,000-mile course where racers report the time they arrived to race headquarters. Don’t miss seeing these athletes as they cycle through your town during the toughest endurance bicycle race in America. More

GPI has launched the “Recycle Glass Week e-hunt”, a virtual scavenger hunt to educate consumers about the value of glass bottle recycling. Little Bottle, an animated character created by Saint-Gobain Containers, will guide recycling enthusiasts, glass lovers, and green people everywhere through this easy online search for a chance to win iPod shuffles, t-shirts, cash, and more.

“We hope the recycle e-hunt proves a fun way to educate about the environmental benefits of glass container recycling, and that it will encourage people to recycle more glass bottles and jars,” says GPI president Joseph Cattaneo. “Recycling glass saves energy, reduces use of raw materials, and lessens CO₂ emissions. Recycling your glass containers will help glass container manufacturers to meet the goal to use 50 percent recycled glass in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013.”

GPI has partnered with Earth911.com, O-I, Race Across America, and Saint-Gobain Containers to host recycle e-hunt clues. GPI is launching the recycle e-hunt in advance of its sponsorship of Race Across America’s (RAAM) 2010 cycling event, June 12-18, and will announce recycle e-hunt prize winners during GPI’s second annual Recycle Glass Week, September 12-18.

In a March 17-18 ceremony in Mexico City, the Mexican Center for Philanthropy (CEMEFI) awarded Vitro the distinction of being a Socially Responsible Company 2010. The event was part of the 3rd Latin American Forum of Socially Responsible Companies where top executives and representatives from “Forum Empresa”, “CEMEFI”, “The Mexican Institute for Norms and Certification” and “RedEAmerica” discussed transparency and accountability, among other topics.

“We are proud to receive, for the third consecutive year, this award which confirms that, in spite of a challenging environment, at Vitro we continue working diligently to offer our customers quality products and services with a clear focus on continuous improvement always making sure that we exercise a positive influence in the communities where we have a presence,” assures Hugo Lara, Vitro CEO.

A fundamental part of Vitro’s contribution to sustainable development is its recycling program. “Thanks to this initiative, in 2009, we were able to collect 152,133 tons of glass to recycle representing a significant increase of 16 percent over 2008. This translates into natural gas consumption savings of 164,304 million BTU’s, the reduction of our carbon dioxide emissions into the atmosphere and the freeing up of 304,266 cubic metric tons in solid waste disposal sites,” says Albert Chico, Vitro’s Manager of Corporate Communication and Social Responsibility.

While a majority of Americans (57%) would like the U.S. to achieve “zero-waste”—or a state where all products are reused and any trash sent to landfills is minimal—in 20 years or less, they believe it will take 41 years or more (53%) before “zero-waste” can be achieved, according to a survey of 1,000 Americans conducted by Opinion Research for the Glass Packaging Institute from April 8-11, 2010.

“Creating ‘zero-waste’ in the U.S. is a goal that needs to be shared by all industries, communities, and consumers,” says Joseph Cattaneo, GPI president. “In this regard, the glass container industry continues to forge ahead in creating more awareness about the environmental benefits of glass container recycling to meet our goal to use up to 50 percent recycled content in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013.”

GPI encourages consumers to commit to make glass recycling a daily habit on April 22nd, the 40th Anniversary of Earth Day. Glass is 100% and endlessly recyclable. “One of the outstanding environmental benefits of glass containers is their recyclability in a closed-loop process,” says Cattaneo. Find out how to recycle glass bottles in your community. Get all survey results

The Glass Packaging Institute’s Recycle Glass Week will be the primary environmental sponsor for this year’s Race Across America (RAAM), the longest-running ultra-endurance bicycle race in the world. RAAM has become a platform for racers and teams raising money for charitable causes—with cyclists raising over one million dollars annually—and a rare opportunity to combine outstanding wellness, and environmental and social missions in one event.

“Cycling and recycling are both environmentally sound practices that encourage sustainability and health for people and our planet,” says Joseph Cattaneo, GPI President. “GPI is delighted to partner with Race Across America to increase awareness about the environmental benefits of cycling and glass container recycling to help meet the industry’s goal to use 50% recycled content in the manufacture of new glass bottles and jars by 2013.”

“As we involve more people in cycling, we simultaneously increase health and overall wellness, in addition to environmental sustainability,” says Fred Boethling, President of RAAM. “We are very excited to continue expanding our event concept to include more teams, and with the sponsorship of the Glass Packaging Institute’s Recycle Glass Week, encourage recycling and create more awareness for environmental responsibility.”

During RAAM 2010, soloists and groups composed of two, four and eight riders will race relay-style across the 3,000+-mile course from Oceanside, California, to Annapolis, Maryland. This year’s RAAM event is projected to include 275 riders with over 1,000 crewmembers. Get the latest event news when you sign up for the RAAM e-newsletter.

GPI’s second annual Recycle Glass Week is planned for September 12-18, 2010. During the week, GPI and its member companies will hold nationwide activities and events to build awareness and boost glass bottle recycling. We’ll also announce the 2010 Clear Choice Awards winners, and recognize Friends of Glass, those organizations or persons that recycle glass or promote the recycling of glass as a way to better the environment.

“After the success of last year’s event, we’re delighted to announce Recycle Glass Week 2010, which will offer even more community recycling events and ways for consumers to get involved,” says Glass Packaging Institute president, Joseph Cattaneo. “We’re asking consumers to recycle their glass bottles and jars to help reduce the amount of recyclable materials entering landfills and to help make new glass containers.”

Enter Now

The Glass Packaging Institute celebrates the 21st year of the Clear Choice Awards, which recognizes the contribution glass packaging makes to the image, marketability, sustainability and success of food, beverage and cosmetic products. Clear Choice Awards winners will be announced on the GPI website the week of September 12, during GPI’s Recycle Glass Week. And GPI will again hold a virtual Clear Choice Awards event to showcase winners.

“Designing and packaging in glass ensures that your product has the competitive edge, as more and more consumers demand glass for its pure, recyclable, and premium characteristics,” says Joseph Cattaneo, president of the Glass Packaging Institute. “Glass containers continue to lead the pack in providing the aesthetics consumers want in a ‘green’ package.”

GPI will award top package designs in the following categories: Beer; Wine; Food; Carbonated Beverage; Non-Carbonated Beverage; Distilled Spirits; Flavored Alcoholic Beverage; Organic Food or Beverage; and Fragrance/Cosmetics/Other. GPI will also choose one glass package to receive the Clear Choice Award for Overall Package Design, and honor eligible entries with GPI’s Conversion Recognition. There is no fee to enter. All entries must be postmarked by July 10, 2010.

An elegant tear-drop shaped bottle for olive oil (at left) took first place in GPI’s Glass Packaging Design Competition held fall semester 2009 at Michigan State University School of Packaging.

The winning 12-ounce glass package was created by the team of Mike Rowe and Zack Werner, beating out 32 other MSU student teams. “My idea about glass has changed not only from our design, but from seeing the other innovative ideas,” says Zach Werner.

“The winning design makes excellent use of the material characteristics and design flexibility of glass containers. "Good use of shape and color produces a great shelf impact," says Dennis Young, MSU Instructor. The competition is part of Young’s Glass and Metal Packaging course. “We had an excellent quality of projects from all the teams of students,” says Young.

The winning design is a spherical body with a gradual sloping neck and a bulky base for overall support. “The form is based on an Old Italian wine bottle shape, with a rustic paper label,” says Mike Rowe. The amber color reduces the amount of sunlight entering the bottle, and the flint lower half provides a “window” so consumers can view the product.

Evian Natural Spring Water has partnered with brilliant British fashion designer Sir Paul Smith on a new limited edition 750 mL glass bottle. The glass bottle is manufactured by Owens-Illinois and is decorated by Saga Décor (a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain Emballage). According to Smith, “It is a nice glass bottle with colourful stripes around the top, printed with organic ink!”

Smith’s design is the third in a series of designer bottles for Evian’s latest youth-oriented ad campaign, “Live Young,” following one by Christian Lacroix in 2008 and last year's model by Jean Paul Gaultier. The bottle comes with five different collectible caps, and is available online at www.ShopEvian.com as well as in fine restaurants, hotels, concept stores, and wellness centers in New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco, and Miami in the U.S.

Watch Paul Smith’s video for Evian