We talked about glass as a viable packaging option in Custom Packaging 101 for Startups and Inexpensive Food Packaging Ideas for Startups. Glass is a versatile product, suitable for an endless list of products and moldable into many different forms.

Various business industries put glass bottles at the top of their packaging preferences for practical reasons. For beer manufacturers, glass bottles are preferable over plastic tubs because they preserve the taste well. Aluminum cans can do the same, but glass containers are more fun to design.

beer bottle

For the cosmetics business, glass bottles add a touch of excitement and mystique to the packaging of products like essential oils and fragrances. Other sellers simply choose to market their merchandise in collectible glass containers.

In this blog, we shall walk you through the beautiful world and business of glass bottle containers to help you find the right ones for a packaging product.

What Are Glass Bottles Made of, and How Are They Made?

glass bottles

Glass is made of silica and common metal oxides, typically sodium, calcium, aluminum, potassium, magnesium, and iron oxides. Silica is obtained from sand. Soda ash, the main sodium source, lowers the bonding temperature. Limestone, the main calcium source, helps strengthen glass. Mixtures containing different metals are heated and blown to make rigid packaging bottles of various colors, shapes, and sizes.

This product is chemically stable as it does not react easily to strong acids, alkalis, and oxidants. In fact, glass bottles serve as chemical waste disposal containers for many scientific laboratories. If glass can stay strong despite extra-tough treatment, it can also protect food and beverages from numerous environmental elements. Additionally, chemical resistance helps glass containers preserve flavors and scents.

Are Glass Bottles Safe for the Environment Unlike Plastic Tubs?

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Glass is safe for the environment and is a great packaging option for your product. After all, it’s been around for millennia and our planet is still intact, isn’t it?

Chuckles aside, to assess a glass container’s eco-friendliness, you only need to look at its composition and other properties.

  • The components of glass are all-natural. They are easy to obtain as they are present in shallow waters. Ancient glassblowers got their raw materials from volcanic areas, beaches and seashore plants.
  • Broken glass is totally recyclable. Recycling does not compromise its quality, unlike post-consumer plastic.
  • Glass is reusable. The old practice of returning glass bottles to their manufacturers considerably limited the need for using fossil fuel to make new glass or reblow it. 
  • Glass is washable and does not promote microbial growth after cleaning and drying. By comparison, single-use water bottles made from polyethylene terephthalate allow microorganisms to accumulate on surface breaks. This makes them unsafe to wash and reuse. 
  • Glass may require more fuel for transportation, but this is minor compared to how much is being used to produce plastic

Additionally, glass is safe to handle even with bare hands. Except for aluminum, the metals it contains are naturally found in the human body. People tolerate aluminum well, and we even pack our food with Reynolds wrap. And the silica in glass is not in powdered form, so it is not a significant health hazard. Glass is safer packaging option compared to plastics like polyvinyl chloride, which is included in Proposition 65 because of its carcinogenic potential.

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How Can I Find the Right Glass Bottle?

Consider both packaging design and function when looking for the right glass bottles for your products. Here are some questions to ask:

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1. What Are the Qualities of the Bottled Product?

Business owners think of using glass bottles when they are packing liquids. Glass bottles provide the contents with good visibility. Studies show that the sight of a product, especially for food, attracts more customers than label photographs do.

However, before you think of exposing your product to prying eyes, consider first if it is light-sensitive. UV spoilage will leave your customers unhappy and the FDA upset.

Brief UV pulses can sterilize food. However, prolonged exposure can ruin the quality of hoppy beer, dairy products, drugs, essential oils, and many others. For these light-sensitive substances, it is best to use dark-colored bottles. Low-calorie beer is usually not as light-reactive, so it can be packed in clear glass bottles.

2. What Are Your Brand Colors?

Branding is an important marketing strategy that allows one in five startups to remain in business for decades. The packaging and logo design are two of the most important branding tools, and color is essential in making both aspects stand out. Branding stamps your products into the customers’ minds, helping them remember your merchandise easily when they’re faced with hundreds of choices inside the store.

When it comes to glass bottle colors, it is best to use your brand colors or those that complement them well when printed on labels. The goal is to create color coordination that is pleasant to your target customers’ eyes.

The standard glass bottle colors are amber brown, black-brown, green, white, and blue. You can also make other hues by tweaking the metallic ingredients during glassblowing—that is, if you have the change to spare for customization. Neutral colors can go with any color label, whereas only limited palettes complement green and blue bottles.

3. In What Quantities Do You Want to Sell Your Storage Products?

Wholesale glass bottles are typically sold in standard sizes, which depend on the products being marketed. If you just started your business, it is best to stick to these standard sizes even if you need your merchandise to stand out in a grocery aisle. For one, you have to satisfy labeling regulations, such as those of the TTB and FDA. For another, it will help health-conscious buyers, as standard servings let them calculate nutrient or alcohol content easily.

Additionally, following the standard sizes helps you accurately compare your prices with those of your competitors.

You can always consider going larger later on, but make sure to do your research first and secure the market for it. You wouldn’t want lots of unsold jumbo-bottled perishables spoiling at your warehouse and wasting your investment.

Speaking of adjusting sizes, you’re probably better off going smaller before going bigger. Economy sizes work well for the health-conscious, the pennywise, and those who have small appetites, and they often look for those mini-packs.

4. What Overall Shape Do You Want for Your Glass Storage Bottles?

The bottle shape is a product design element that can also influence purchasing decisions.

For example, one of the most successful bottle designs is this one:

successful bottle design

It is so recognizable and strongly associated with one brand that, when you see it, you won’t think of any other beverage. You’ll definitely want the same kind of treatment for your product down the road.

Choosing the right glass bottle shape not only aids in branding but also assures consumers that they’re getting the right product. For example, people will not associate medicine bottles with beer, so don’t try to sell your brew in such containers. They might even make the buyers think that the product is spiked with harmful chemicals.

At the start of your business, you may be limited to generic bottles, and that’s perfectly fine. Remember that the packaging is made from the primary container, label, and any other higher levels of packaging you have. Branded packaging comes from creatively combining and designing these elements. 

5. How Wide or Tall Do You Want Your Glass Bottle’s Neck to Be?

Another product quality that you have to consider is fluid thickness. The bottle’s neck and opening are critical for thick liquids. Very narrow passageways will get them stuck in the bottle due to surface tension, so you must avoid this combination.

Glass bottles must also fit inside their secondary packaging, which, most of the time, is a big case. Very long bottles may end up getting broken during transport when placed inside inappropriately sized cases.

6. How Will Your Customers Open the Glass Bottles?

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Lastly, when looking for a glass bottle, consider how you will cap your product. The ideal cap should protect the product from tampering and be easy for old grandmas to open as well.

Package tampering not only reduces your profit but impacts your brand negatively. Meanwhile, hard-to-open packages lead to frustration and an injurious affair called “wrap rage.”

For beverages, look no further because EnKo Products’ kombucha bottles have both of these features. For fragrances, essences, and other scented products, our lockable amber glass bottles have pumps and sprays that let users get the liquids smoothly. The bottles can likewise be reclosed afterward to prolong the products’ shelf-life and is a great storage option.

When you’ve answered these questions, you’ll be ready to find the glass bottles that suit your products best.

Clear Bottle with Easy Swing Cap

: 16oz / 500ml
: Glass
: 9.1″

Conclusion For Glass Storage Bottles

In summary, glass bottles are viable packaging options for various types of products. They are made of solidified silica and various metal oxides, which do not pose significant health hazards. They are made from natural sources and are 100% recyclable, making them earth-friendly as well. They don’t alter flavors and scents because they are chemically resistant to acids, alkalis, and oxidants. This makes them ideal for storage or packing products like beer and essences, unlike plastic tubs. 

When choosing glass bottles for any of your product options, note each of their properties and the bottle’s color, size, overall shape, neck shape, and capping mechanism. The combination of these should protect the product, promote your business or brand, and let the packaging container remain convenient for customers to use.

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