Container glass forms an integral part of our everyday lives, from the bottles the hold wine, beer, spirits, dairy products and soft drinks, to sauces, oils and other foods, even the containers that hold perfumes and pharmaceutical products. The breadth of shapes, sizes, colours and textures is enormous, yet the industry is dominated by a handful of main players and the principal end use depends very much on the consuming industries present in the country where the product is made. The container glass industry faces tough competition in the packaging market from plastic and metal, and strives to convince consumers that glass is synonymous with maintaining the quality of the contained products and is in itself an object of beauty. Producers also have to keep in line with recycling targets, which very considerably across national boundaries.
