The leading trend in cosmetics in recent years has been the creation of solutions based almost 100% on natural ingredients. In order for a given cosmetic to fit into the trend of organic, natural and environmentally friendly cosmetics and its resources, however, attention should be paid not only to the composition of the cosmetic, but also to its packaging.
The widely dominant plastic and the need to replace it with other types of packaging drew the eye of cosmetics manufacturers to the use of glass packaging. Glass is an excellent material for contact with the active substances contained in cosmetics due to several important features:
- it is a chemically inert material, so it does not affect the composition, smell, consistency or color of the product that is in the packaging;
- it does not break down into harmful chemicals, and thanks to this, there is no migration of harmful substances to the contents of the packaging of e.g. cosmetics;
- it effectively protects the product from environmental factors such as sunlight, oxygen, high temperatures;
- in theory, the glass is 100% repeatedly recyclable;
- it is durable and can be reused for a long time, especially if the cosmetics manufacturer offers products for refilling the glass container;
- it may vary in color depending on the method of manufacture and the content of dyes, therefore, the color of the packaging can be adjusted to the needs of the product.
Although most Europeans – Including a very large number of Poles – increasingly choose products in glass packaging, the production process, followed by transport and recycling, is very energy-intensive and has a negative impact on the environment. Glass production is quite expensive, although recyclability is in its favor, as glass residues can be easily melted and converted into new glass packaging.
The basic raw material used in the production of glass packaging is quartz sand, to which calcined soda, limestone and glass cullet are added. Depending on the packaging received and its purpose, clarifying or glass staining agents are additionally added to the set. In the production of glass, all the above-mentioned raw materials are mixed in appropriate proportions and subjected to heat treatment in a metallurgical furnace with a temperature above 1000°C. As a result of melting, a glass mass is formed – homogeneous and liquid, which is then subjected to processing and cut into portions, creating the so-called glass droplets that go into appropriate molds, in which the glass mass is blown or pressed, giving it the final shape, e.g. a bottle or jar. The last stage of production is cooling and polishing the surface. The finished products are cooled gradually according to the size and thickness of the package, so as to prevent the occurrence of stresses in the glass, and then the surface is covered with a protective layer to increase the scratch resistance. Colored glass is obtained by adding suitable metal compounds to the glass mass, including, for example, iron and chromium compounds to obtain the green color of the glass or cobalt and copper compounds to obtain the blue color.
The production of glass packaging should also be considered in terms of reducing the carbon footprint. According to a 2022 publication by NSG Group (https://nowoczesny-przemysl.pl/produkcja-szkla-a-klimat/), glass is one of the most commonly used materials, but it has a considerable carbon footprint. This is mainly due to the fact that very high temperatures are necessary to melt the glass, and this process obviously consumes a lot of energy and fuel. In Poland, the majority of electricity comes from hard coal combustion, although there is a tendency to use renewable sources, which will reduce CO2 emissions, as well as the tendency to close the water cycle and recover it in the production process, which further reduces production costs. In addition, the use of such large amounts of sand in the production of glass destroys the natural ecosystem, contributes to erosion and natural disasters. In order to lower the melting point and reduce energy consumption in the production process, recycled broken glass is added. It should also be emphasized that glass transport also generates a high carbon footprint due to the greater weight of glass packaging and its susceptibility to damage, which requires additional safeguards. Glass recycling is theoretically infinite, but in practice it is problematic because it is expensive and energy-intensive, and glass that is not processed can remain in landfills for millions of years. Thus, glass packaging is only environmentally beneficial if an effective recovery system is in place and it is used repeatedly over a long period of time. Other materials, such as efficiently recycled plastic or biodegradable plastics, may be more environmentally friendly for single-use products.
On the other hand, glass packaging is aesthetic and gives the products a unique look. Cosmetics in glass packaging usually look better, seem more luxurious, and are associated with better quality. The transparent, durable material from which the glass bottles and glass jars for cosmetics are made, allows consumers to see the product within, which further increases the overall attractiveness of the packaging. It is also worth noting that glass packaging can be personalized. More and more glass packaging companies are striving to reduce carbon dioxide emissions and often resort to innovative solutions, additionally securing their interests by protecting industrial property rights, including patents.
An example is LionGlass, which has partnered with Italian cosmetics and perfume glass manufacturer Bormioli Luigi to introduce to the market a sustainable alternative to soda-lime-silicate glass. The new glass material eliminates the use of carbonate feedstock and has a melting point 400 degrees lower than standard glass products, which raises the potential for reducing the carbon footprint of glass production by as much as half. The new material also increases the strength of glass packaging by about 10 times, which will enable the production of thinner and lighter packaging, thus increasing the amount of glass transported by land at one time, which will also contribute to reducing carbon dioxide emissions generated during transport. International Patent Application WO2023177659A1 was filed in March 2023 and is undergoing a merits analysis. The application discloses a glass composition, articles made from the disclosed glass compositions, and methods of making the same. More particularly disclosed herein is a glass composition comprising: about 25 to about 55 mol% P2O5; about 5 to about 45 mol% SiO2; about 5 to about 22 mol% Al2O3; about 5 to about 30 mol% ZnO; from 0 to about 20 mol% of the total amount of Na2O, K2O and/or Li2O; about 2 to about 8 mol% CaO and/or about 2 to about 8 mol% MgO.
In order to improve the production of glass packaging with better transparency, durability and quality, which can be used as cosmetic packaging in patent application CN113248137A belonging to ANHUI SHILIN GLASSWARE CO LTD, a glass processing method has been proposed comprising the following steps: a) weighing the raw materials for the production of cosmetic glass: 300-310 parts quartz sand, 96-97 parts soda ash, 54.5-55 parts calcite, 5.1-5.4 parts sodium nitrate, 27-28 parts lithium and 7-7.5 parts barium carbonate, 1.9-2.1 parts aluminum hydroxide, 3-3.4 parts clarifying agent, 1-1.5 parts sodium sulfate, 0.4-0.6 parts cerium oxide powder, 10-11 parts selenium powder, 0.7-0.8 parts cobalt powder, 110-130 parts crushed glass, 1.4-1.8 parts borax, of which quartz sand and cullet are quartz sand and cullet with a medium particle size range of 30-40 mesh; b). mixing; c). bringing the resulting mixture to a molten state at 1420-1460 °C, evenly stirring, adding clarifying agent and stagnating for 6-8 hours to obtain molten glass; then d) cooling the molten glass to 1320-1360 °C and blowing the molten glass into a glass bottle; and transferring the glass bottle to an annealing furnace at 620-680 °C, maintaining the temperature for 6-10 minutes, conducting cooling to 500-535 °C, maintaining the temperature for 12-18 minutes, conducting cooling to 340-365 °C, maintaining the heat for 100-130 minutes and conducting air cooling to room temperature. Thanks to the appropriate preparation of materials, it is possible to effectively reduce the melting point of glass, improve the transparency of glass and effectively remove the internal stresses of the glass bottle, while improving its strength and resistance to heat.
In turn, Korean patent KR 102378097B1 belonging to Fuji Kasei Co. Ltd, Shinetsu Chemical Co., discloses a device for mixing a glass composition for making a glass cosmetic container and a method for mixing the composition. Bearing in mind the need to increase the share of glass waste recycling and to maximize the share of glass cullet in the production of glass cosmetic packaging, as well as to obtain high-quality products of a quality similar to a glass container made of glass without the addition of glass cullet, all raw materials are mixed as evenly as possible.
It is worth remembering that the market success of an enterprise depends not only on a good product and advertising, but also on whether they will be properly protected by intellectual property law, especially industrial property. This type of protection allows one to increase profits and gain an advantage over competitors in the sector. In the case of glass packaging, the protection of utility and industrial designs plays a key role. The utility model protects the technical aspects of the packaging, such as the way the elements are closed or joined. In turn, the industrial design protects the aesthetics of the packaging: shape, color, ornamentation, provided that it is new and has an exceptional character, causing a distinct impression on the user. Glass as a material offers great design flexibility, allowing the creation of unique, functional and attractive packaging. An example of the utility model CN218474293 U is the Chinese model of a cosmetic bottle with chambers separated by an internal plate, which showcases the technical and aesthetic capabilities of glass packaging.
Glass packaging is distinguished by its ecological character, due to unlimited recycling, aesthetics, as well as safety, which makes it attractive to many industries. The main disadvantages, however, are higher costs, weight and susceptibility to damage. In order to maximize the ecological potential of glass packaging, it is crucial to implement appropriate recycling systems, promotion of reuse and continuous education of the public on what can be considered as glass waste for recycling and thrown into a properly marked container, and what hinders or even prevents it, due to e.g. a higher melting point than packaging glass (e.g. ceramics, porcelain, glasses or plates). In Poland, only 50-60% of glass packaging is recycled. The conscious action of the consumer, who will or will not hand over the glass for reuse, may have a decisive impact on whether glass packaging is eco-friendly or, on the contrary, generates both economic and environmental costs.
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