Environmental Packaging Summit 2025: Glass championed for reuse systems

This year’s annual Environmental Packaging Summit, held in London, UK, brought together packaging manufacturers, designers, brands, and retailers to discuss sustainable packaging and strategies for reducing carbon footprints, with reuse taking center stage. British Glass highlighted the suitability of glass for emerging reuse systems.

The gold winner of the Environmental Packaging Summit 2025 in the Ambient F&B Packaging category was the Ocado Retail Online reuse system, designed to significantly reduce single-use packaging in online deliveries.

Dr. Nick Kirk, director at British Glass and a speaker at the summit, tells Packaging Insights: “Glass packaging is ideal for reuse, and consumers have a long-standing association between reuse and glass. The glass industry is actively engaging in the reuse debate and already has the capability to manufacture reusable glass containers.”

However, he argues that a whole supply chain effort is required to achieve a more widespread adoption of refill and reuse models in glass packaging. “Supplying reusable bottles alone does not constitute a reuse system. The UK currently lacks the necessary infrastructure for reuse, such as collection, sorting, washing, and redistribution.”

“Awards like this help raise awareness of best practice, reward innovation, and highlight the brands and businesses choosing packaging for its environmental performance — not just convenience or cost.”

“Recognizing those leading the way with reusable and recyclable packaging, such as glass, helps shift the market and encourages others to follow.” 

Recycling and EPR 

In the Drinks Packaging category, the winner was the Verallia UK glass bottle for Feddie Single Malt Whisky, which has an average of 52% recycled content and, with its label and cap, weighs just 450 g — 25% lighter than the industry norm. 

Dr. Nick Kirk, director at British Glass.Kirk points out that glass is infinitely recyclable, and glass packaging is the only packaging material that is recycled directly back into food-contact packaging.

“The glass industry is on the route to net zero, which includes conversion to renewable electricity, increased closed-loop recycling, and reduction in packaging weight.”

However, he tells us that the UK’s new packaging EPR (pEPR) is currently “the single biggest challenge for the industry.” 

He points out that pEPR costs are based on weight, and when applied to individual glass packaging items, glass faces pEPR costs that are 10 to 20 times higher than competing materials.

“All glass packaging is bought in units, so EPR costs should be based on units, not weight. The current policy risks driving decisions toward the lightest packaging rather than the most recyclable.”

Environmental Packaging Summit

Biffa Waste Management was another gold winner at the summit, recognized as “Recycler of the Year.” Roger Wright, speaking on behalf of Biffa, said that creating value from discarded materials is both a key challenge and a major opportunity.

Meanwhile, OPRL spokesperson Jude Allan emphasized that recyclability depends on multiple factors, including design and infrastructure.

We also spoke with Benchmark Consulting, which provides a CO2 estimation and quotation software solution tailored to the packaging industry, and with the Food Service Packaging Association, a key sponsor of several awards, about the broader aims of the summit.