A glass of its own
A new study shows consumers are just as likely to buy products in jars and bottles made with mixed colour recycled glass as they are to purchase items in clear glass packaging – a finding that could boost demand for containers with high recycled content.
WRAP (Waste & Resources Action Programme), which commissioned the research, says the study will also benefit the recycling industry in the UK by providing confidence in the demand for more mixed colour recycled glass.
Conducted in partnership with Sainsbury’s, the study looked at consumer attitudes to food and drink products in glass packaging with a slightly green hue – the colour produced when it contains a high percentage of mixed colour recycled glass.
By comparing participants’ perceptions of a range of common products – from mayonnaise and preserves to wines and spirits – packaged in both recycled and clear glass containers, the study found that the colour change did not have a detrimental effect in most cases.
Mayonnaise was the only product that consumers preferred in a clear glass container. Otherwise, product approval ratings were similar regardless of container colour; and in the case of jam, consumers actually preferred it in a high recycled content glass jar.
