2022 has been declared the International Year of Glass (IYOG) by the United Nations, in recognition of the importance of this incredible material. Glass is at the very heart of a circular economy because as a packaging material it can be recycled endlessly without losing its unique properties, and these same attributes prove how glass packaging contributes directly to three of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals.
We are in the glass age! Every area of our lives involves glass in some shape or form, from transport to homes and workplaces, from food production to health, from leisure activities to communications, from museums and art galleries to science laboratories.
Glass is one of the world’s most transformative materials. The uses of glass are evolving at an accelerated pace thanks to a deeper scientific understanding of glass physics and chemistry, combined with modern analytic and control technologies and a changing world.
It has long played a vital role in science, art, industry and culture. Today, glass is the main conduit for information in our data-driven society. Optical glass fibres drove the communications revolution and today form the global backbone of the internet, and touch-sensitive glass screens have revolutionised user interfaces.
For as long as humans have worked with glass, we have loved it for its beauty, versatility, sustainability, trusted qualities and health-preserving properties. Consumers have demonstrated time and again that they love glass for these reasons, and consistently show a preference for it as a packaging material. The growing use of glass packaging promotes sustainability.
It truly is a remarkable material, and one that is perfectly made for our time.
The International Year of Glass will be marked by collaborations among glass industry players and associations across the globe and will include fairs and exhibitions, seminars and social media campaigns. The glass industry – a long-time leader in circularity – will convene stakeholders across the entire glass value chain to promote glass in driving the world’s sustainable development aspirations.
Consol is a proud partner of Friends of Glass, an international community which supports everything about glass packaging and is leading the industry’s participation in this global celebration. Friends of Glass was created in 2008 by FEVE, the European Container Glass Federation, an international not-for-profit association representing glass packaging.
Glass has been there for us in the past and will be key to achieving a sustainable future for our society and our planet. Let’s raise a glass….to glass and give it the celebrations it deserves!
