Glass Facts & Statistics
Did you know?
Refillable glass bottles can be reused 20 or more times!
General Knowledge
Glass Education [offsite]
Basic information from the Glass Packaging Institute.
Statistical Data and Research
Searching for a quick statistic, graph or table?
Find it in the data archive.
Glass Life Cycle Assessments
Glass Life Cycle Analysis
A 2010 analysis by Owens-Illinois of the carbon emissions produced during each phase in the glass life cycle.
Learn more | Download report [pdf,2Mb]
Life Cycle Inventory of Soft Drinks in Glass, Aluminum, and PET
A 2009 study of glass, aluminum, and PET soft drink containers found PET bottles produced less solid waste, less greenhouse gas emission, and used less energy than the other two container types. The study covered production of the containers and end-of-life uses, but did not include data on post-fabrication transportation to the filling site, filling, distribution, storage, retail use and consumer use.
More info | Download report [pdf, 484kb]
Additional Tools
Need more in-depth information about glass beverage container sales and recycling in any or all of the United States? Consider requesting a Beverage Market Data Analysis.
Glass Recycling in the News
Articles on glass recycling, sourcing CRI
Issues
Refillable Glass Bottles
Glass Recycling and Bottle Bills
A glass packaging professional's letter to his senators