When it comes to cleaning products, market sentiment is presently leaning toward the eco-friendly kind. To many, quality is now determined not only by good product performance but also environmental safety. That is why plastic-free eco-friendly cleaning products are becoming more popular. And for this type of merchandise, glass is plastic’s most important alternative. 

The Benefits of Using Glass Materials in Packaging

In this article, we talk about the advantages of glass as a packaging material for your green cleaning product brand.

1.

Glass Is a Marketable Plastic Substitute

Plastic has earned quite a reputation. In the US, 12 million barrels of petroleum are used yearly for making it, and less than 10% is recycled.

Learn More:

Meanwhile, for environmentally-conscious consumers, the first material that they consider for packaging cleaning products is glass. Cardstock is out of the question for liquids, while metal can corrode on prolonged contact with cleaning products.

Glass is also recycled three times more than plastic.

2.

You Can Make Pretty Designs Out of Glass

Glass yields visually attractive containers. Customers associate plastic with efficiency and fast living. But when they look at glass, they think of class and luxury. That is why glass is more often a collectible or decorative item than plastic.

You can color glass or shape it into different forms. You can also spice up a plain glass bottle with a nicely printed sheet label. If you don’t like its design, you can have it re-blown into one that suits your taste. Your options are limitless with this material.

Save More. Shop for Blank Sheet Labels Today.

Laser Printer Labels

: 100 / pack
: 2″ x 4″ &  3-1/3″ x 4″ & 3-1/2″ x 5″

3.

Glass Is Chemically Stable

Glass can endure many corrosive substances, unlike bioplastics, cardstock and metals. It does not melt away with acids, alkalis and oxidants. As we mentioned in our article, “Startup Guide: How to Find the Perfect Glass Bottles for Your Business,” chemical waste collectors in scientific laboratories are made of glass.

4.

Dark Glass Protects against UV Light

UV light can transform your cleaning product and render it useless. An ineffective cleaning product can disappoint customers and make you lose money. Dark glass like the one we used for making enKo Products’ amber cleaning bottles provides ample protection from UV light, letting you safeguard your brand and investment.

5.

Glass Does Not Leak

Glass is non-porous, unlike paper and fabric. It will not leak the contents of your cleaning product. It will also shield your merchandise from the spoiling effects of microbes and various environmental elements.

Find the Perfect Packaging Solution for Your Business! Browse our Glass Bottles and Containers!

Clear Bottle with Easy Swing Cap

: 16oz / 500ml
: Glass
: 9.1″

6.

Glass Is Easier to Wash

Without tough detergents or pungent solvents, grease and other oily substances can linger on plastic surfaces. Thus, when you recycle plastic, you will find that removing label adhesives can be challenging. In contrast, oil and grease do not cling as much to glass, so the latter is easier to clean.

7.

Glass Is Easier to Recycle than Plastic

Glass can be recycled at three levels.

  • Consumers can repurpose a glass container. Additionally, more people make collections out of glass containers than those made of plastic.
  • Manufacturers can wash and reuse glass that the consumers return to them.
  • Broken glass collected at manufacturing plants, recycling facilities and landfills can be crushed and re-blown.

The ease of recycling glass is one reason why it is considered a more sustainable material for packaging cleaning products than plastic. It should fit your green campaign to a tee.

8.

You Get No Plastic Odor on Your Cleaning Product

Plastic packaging for cleaning products is not the same as that used for food, cosmetics and drugs. Food-grade plastic is odorless, whereas those used for other merchandise types retain that crude oil smell long after processing.

Plastic odors turn off some customers and may even trigger breathing problems. Meanwhile, well-cleaned glass does not have that issue.

glass-bottles-1

9.

Glass Does Not Leach Harmful Chemicals

Some plastics are made of substances that are known to cause cancer, reproductive problems or both. For example, vinyl chloride, which can leach from PVC, is a Prop 65 chemical because of its tumor risk.

Meanwhile, glass may contain metals, but none of them are toxic at normal exposure levels. In fact, most of them are commonly found in the human body. The rest of glass’ components are also safe and remain unchanged even after extended contact with cleaning products.

10.

Glass Is More Cost-Effective than Plastic

Many are concerned with glass’s heaviness and the costs of shipping it. In contrast, plastic is lightweight, so it does not add much to a pallet load.

However, when coupled with a recycling program, the higher return rates of glass containers considerably decrease packaging expenses. Also, making and shipping glass cost less than doing the same with plastic. Overall, glass helps you get your money’s worth and protect the environment more than plastic can.

11.

Recycling Does Not Diminish Glass’ Durability

Post-consumer plastic loses its quality after getting recycled several times. The same is true for paper. On the other hand, glass can be crushed and re-blown indefinitely without losing its quality. In some cases, using cullet—or recycled glass—to shape new containers is preferable over using virgin materials because it saves on energy costs.

The Safer Choice Label

12.

Glass Makes It Easy for You to Earn the Safer Choice Label

Ever heard of the Safer Choice Label?

The Safer Choice Program is a voluntary certification program run by the EPA to ensure the quality of various consumer products, including cleaning agents. Safer Choice Partners earn the Safer Choice Label as an incentive after demonstrating high standards of quality, safety, ingredient transparency and sustainability. The Safer Choice Label can distinguish your products from others and help expand your market.

One of the criteria for becoming a Safer Choice Partner is packaging sustainability, which is judged based on the following:

  • If it is made using renewable energy
  • Its recyclability
  • If it is manufactured using clean production technologies
  • If it is composed of healthful materials
  • Having a design that optimizes materials and energy
  • Being zero-waste

Safer Choice Partners must use at least 25% renewable source materials in their products’ primary packaging.

These advantages of glass will give your eco-friendly cleaning product the shelf appeal that it needs and establish you as a green brand.

Glass has some drawbacks, too, but they are all easily remedied.

  • Glass containers are heavy to ship, as previously mentioned. However, optimizing your recycling efforts should reduce your costs.
  • Glass is fragile and can be difficult to ship. However, a good packaging strategy can reduce the odds of breakage during transport.
  • Broken glass cuts the skin more easily than broken plastic can. However, careful handling should help you avoid this.

So overall, glass is the clear choice for packaging cleaning products without depending on plastic.

Conclusion

Most environmentally-conscious consumers prefer their cleaning agents to be in eco-friendly, plastic-free packaging. For this type of product, glass is the most popular substitute. It is durable, sustainable, easy to decorate and has many other advantages. It may have a few setbacks, but these can all be easily remedied. Consider using glass to market your green cleaning product brand.

Like & follow our social media pages to see more updates and promotions !

Leave a Reply