Glass in the digital
living room

At the first event of the series, it was already clear that there was really something special to experience here. It was to be a journey of the senses through the world of glass packaging. Glass packaging – a sensory experience? Really?

On that day in October 2019, Vetropack had invited some people to Vienna. People came who think about the everyday and the not-so-everyday, who write about it and who publish their views and insights on lifestyle and sustainability, food, family and wellness in blogs on the Internet. People who are interested in these things, who live consciously and who are not impressed by advertising events.

Friends of Glass

Flashback to the year 2008. Several large and small glass packaging manufacturers from all over Europe are joining forces and launching Friends of Glass, a campaign platform that aims to make the benefits of glass packaging visible. Visible where it is most important: to the end consumers.

The initiator is the Fédération Européenne du Verre d’Emballage (FEVE), a non-profit organisation that has been pointing out in recent years with Friends of Glass that it is possible to avoid polluting water and the seas by using glass packaging. Glass does not produce microparticles that can enter the environment and the food chain – just one of the advantages of glass, but a very topical one. In discussions about the consequences of too much packaging in the flows of goods for daily use, it is too often overlooked that for many things there has long been an excellent solution with a good environmental footprint – namely glass.

Vetropack and Friends of Glass appeared together as hosts of the event “The Taste of Glass”, and they had chosen a special location for the first one.

Stations for all senses

The Thirty Five in the myhive Twin Towers at the highest point in Vienna bears this name for a reason. It is located on the 35th floor and offers an incomparable view over the city. However, it was not the view that was the focus of the day, but the five experience stations that Vetropack had prepared.

Each of the stations took a topic and made it possible literally to experience it with all the senses. The natural and pure character of glass packaging was shown by an installation that staged the world of the oceans, with sand, shells and driftwood, a video installation of the “Cheers to the Ocean” campaign, and a smell composition with typical sea odours and small seafood snacks. The four other themes were just as elaborately staged: glass recycling, which conserves resources, reduces bottlenecks and CO2 emissions, fitted with a warm ambience with wood and smoky notes; the hygienic and healthy properties of glass were represented by open, green landscapes, fresh aromas and edible flowers; its aesthetic quality was demonstrated with embossed coloured bottles and the scent of olive oil; and the innovative development of particularly light bottles with thin walls was shown in video sequences on the work of a glass designer and unusual taste combinations in small hors d’oeuvres.

Roadshow in six countries

At each station there was something for all the senses. The staging was a real experience for the bloggers. Glass was placed in a context where it is not seen in everyday life – and the context of the individual stations made it clear where glass stands in the world of packaging materials. The guests were able to discuss their newly gained impressions again in depth over a meal at an elaborately decorated table.

The Czech Republic, Slovakia, Croatia, Italy and Switzerland, each a few days apart, were the next stops on the roadshow organised by Vetropack’s local subsidiaries with the support of Friends of Glass. The impression it made everywhere will last for years to come.

And the bottom line? It’s true: the sun also sparkles in a bottle. You just have to look and see how well glass fits into a modern, sustainable world. The guests were visibly impressed. By now you’ll be able to read about it in many of their blogs.