The World’s Greatest
Invention? Glass
The invention of the printing press spread literacy all around the world. Electric light created nightlife and allowed us to navigate and travel safely in the dark. The automobile gave people more personal freedom and access to jobs and services further away. All amazing inventions that are rightly celebrated. But what about the marvel that’s all around us every day? Glass.
The Year of Glass
2022 has been designated as the United Nations International Year of Glass, to acknowledge the continuing importance and contribution of glass to global society. It’s no exaggeration to say that glass plays an important role in almost every aspect of our lives. Glass windows, glass mirrors, glass pots, glass jars, glass bottles, glass lenses for cameras and telescopes, glass lightbulbs, glass computer screens, glass test tubes, glass streetlights, glass fibres, glass solar panels, glass glasses for alcoholic and soft drinks, glass glasses for eyes. The list is literally endless. At this moment in time, there are over 350,000 different types of currently known glass.
100% Recyclable and Sustainable
Perhaps the most amazing and surprising thing about glass is that it’s 100% recyclable and sustainable. Which in today’s society is an absolute must. However, because glass is everywhere we have to look at it with a very critical eye. For example, most glass is made by fossil gas-fired melting furnaces, which produce harmful CO2 emissions. Often the raw materials are transported over great distances, to save money, when the very same ingredients are on our doorstep. Then there’s all the glass bottles and jars that aren’t recycled, which end up as landfill, because many governments don’t have recycling policies in place. For example, in the United States, only around 30% of glass is recycled.
Glass can and should be made responsibly. That’s why we created Calaso. We produce sustainable premium glass bottles and jars for consumer products in many industries, ranging from cosmetics and personal care to health and nutrition. Our goal is simple: reduce, reuse and recycle. We need to protect our beautiful planet, by using ecological packaging materials and production methods that minimise any harmful impact on the environment.
CO2 Free Production
Our factory as well as our office use certified CO2-free electricity from renewable energy sources, like wind turbines and solar energy. Which means that we use environmentally friendly electric furnaces, rather than the damaging fossil gas-fired furnaces. All the materials we use are sourced locally, as close to home as possible. Also, as we’ve said, glass is recyclable. It can be reused and reused and reused, with absolutely no loss in quality. And that’s what we do. Melt it down, with absolutely no waste. Our high-quality glass packaging can contain up to 65% of recycled material.
Lightweight and Reusing
Calaso also makes lightweight bottles and jars, without compromising on quality or strength. Meaning minimum amounts of raw materials, higher volume capacity, reduced transport costs and fewer CO2 emissions. Also, something that’s easy to forget, the most sustainable solution of all is reusing bottles and jars. That’s why we’ve developed elegant refill solutions, so that customers can even prevent packaging from entering the waste cycle.
A Long History of Glassmaking
The team and partners behind Calaso have a long history in the European glass-making business. We pride ourselves on our customer service. We can advise our clients in every aspect of their journey towards sustainability. Ensuring that it’s the right glass, the right transportation and the right design. We offer an extensive collection (from coloured to flint glass in different shapes and sizes), ordering flexibility and short lead times. It’s not just about large orders either, we offer the same dedicated service for smaller orders too. It would be a little bit of an overclaim to suggest that we offer the world’s best service, but we certainly try!