Whether it be in the perfumes or cosmetics sector, glass offers two benefits: it is a luxurious material, and it is infinitely recyclable! As both consumers and regulatory constraints push for packaging circularity, it is crucial for manufacturers to adopt glass premiumisation techniques which do not prevent it from being recycled. Plus, there are other challenges, including material limitation, pollutants, energy, and waste.
Recyclable lacquering and metallisation
To preserve the high-end appearance metallisation can bring to bottles, while ensuring suitability for recycling, Pochet offers a translucent solution which, contrary to the opaque version, helps identify the material correctly in sorting chains. All shades can be obtained, with as many intensities as desired, and the possibility to modulate them according to the area of application.
Furthermore, while opaque metallisation is carried out under vacuum by evaporation, translucent metallisation is done under vacuum by sputtering, a deposit technique which makes it possible to apply a thinner layer of material, thus requiring less aluminium.
PRAD, a specialist of liquid metallisation, also confirms the rising interest in transparent metallisation: the company highlighted this alternative at the Paris Packaging Week. This technology helps achieve the refinement and elegance luxury companies all seek, while minimizing the environmental impact: it offers low-energy consumption and guarantees glass recyclability.
Whether it be opaque, transparent, or with shading, liquid metallisation can be combined with silkscreen printing, pad printing, hot stamping, or laser engraving. PRAD actually recently invested in a new robotised laser island combining high mass production rates and high quality.
With the same ecodesign objective in mind, Verescence developed a translucent lacquering process for glass products in its own laboratory. Although it is opaque to the naked eye, this decoration lets the light through. A test protocol confirmed its compatibility with recycling.
SGD Pharma Beauty also chose this translucent lacquering option.
Enhanced thermoluster and etching
Some techniques used for glass decoration, including metallisation or varnish, may contain CMR (carcinogenic, mutagenic, reprotoxic) substances. To solve this problem, the Pochet group developed a new iridescent Thermoluster with a reduced environmental impact, which they showcased at this year’s Paris Packaging Week. This technology is CMR-free and produces six times less VOCs (Volatile Organic Compounds), while offering iridescent and holographic light effects.
The thermoluster technique is also put forward by Verescence. According to the glassmaker, it is very popular among brands right now. This process consists in spraying a hot oxide onto white or coloured glass to create a shiny, iridescent effect. The shape of the bottle can have an impact on the rendering. This technique is compatible with all finishings and has no impact on glass recyclability.
At the Paris Packaging Week, Verescence also unveiled the new Coverdream beautifying technique. Thanks to high resolution printing, the Coverdream decoration can reproduce complex patterns on the whole bottle, including the neck. The process delivers an infinite range of colours, shading, and tones. However, whether it can be recycled depends on how opaque the customer wants it to be.
Pochet has also initiated a pilot test for another technique, in collaboration with Maison Neyret: Laser Tone is a laser engraving solution for industrial scale production which makes it possible to obtain various tones, from white to grey. This technique is highly time-saving, plus it ensures decoration continuity from one side to the other, without any repositioning constraint, including first-pass engraving of legal information at the base of the bottle. In addition, it does not require any consumables, it does not produce any waste dust, and it is energy-efficient.
Formula protection
Launched last autumn in partnership with Nexdot, the Lumi Coat innovation by Stoelzle Parfumerie & Cosmétique comes in the form of filter varnish to protect glass bottles and jars from UV rays, while preserving their crystalline transparency. By absorbing 86% of harmful UV rays, this technology helps preserve the integrity of the content’s colours and fragrances, thus promoting cleaner, more sustainable Clean Beauty formulations. This answer is adapted to the rising demand from brands seeking to reduce their use of stabilizing molecules, like UV absorbers, colourants, and preservatives.
In the same vein, Miron’s purple glass was specially designed to protect and preserve light-sensitive products, for example natural cosmetics, and prolong their shelf life. Easily recognizable with its dark purple colour obtained by adding metallic oxides during the glass manufacturing process, it filtrates certain wavelengths in the light spectrum for optimum content protection. Miron’s glass is recyclable.
