International Year of Glass 2022

On May 18, 2021, the United Nations General Assembly formally approved a resolution declaring the year 2022 as the International Year of Glass (IYOG), celebrating the heritage and importance of glass in our lives.

Celebrate With O-I

Connect with O-I and share your glass story. Throughout the year, we will be sharing stories. Tell us how you will celebrate the International Year of Glass. Use the hashtags #IYOG2022 and #ChooseGlass to celebrate the role of glass packaging in the future.

February 18

International Year of Glass
Opening Ceremonies

A Storied Legacy of Packaging the Future

Since 1903, O-I Glass has been at the leading edge of innovating glass packaging and transforming the industry. Every day at O-I, our master-makers use science and art to transform four natural ingredients —sand, soda ash, limestone, and recycled glass—into millions of different glass bottles and jars that excite consumers, help customers build strong brands, and provide value to our employees and stakeholders. The International Year of Glass is a recognition of the people and products that transform our lives every day.

There have been significant changes in the global packaging industry over recent years; however, what has remained constant is glass packaging’s unique benefits that stay true to the health and sustainability of our world. Like it always has, glass will be here today and tomorrow, remaining hard at work and doing its part to deliver our sustainable future. We are proud to help the world celebrate the International Year of Glass and invite you to join us in our celebration by choosing glass in 2022!

History of Innovation at O-I Glass

Michael Owens changed the way glass has been produced over the last 5,000 years with his miracle machine. Since then, the company has been continually transforming itself, transforming its environment. From licensing machines to producing bottles, from manual to automated inspection technologies – O-I automated every production process, bringing the sustainable power of glass into everyday use. That same spirit of innovation in glassmaking lives on today, as our more than 20,000 employees work with our customers and partners to define the future of glass. With more than 1,800 active patents on our proprietary technology, we remain dedicated to the qualities that endeared Mr. Owens to glass in the first place: its beauty, versatility, and endless sustainability. There is so much to celebrate about this material during the International Year of Glass.

Engineering Emotions: Our People Lead the Way

We are makers. We are value creators. We are scientists and inventors. We are masters of engineering emotions that transcend language. Our mission is transparent — as clear as glass. We have two initials and the emotion we feel is pride. O-I is Engineering Emotions.

Designing the Future of Packaging: O-I Design Book 2

Consumer preferences are changing right now. They care more than ever about health, wellness & safety, and sustainability. There’s a unique opportunity for brands to become an essential part of the new normal. We not only master the process to turn sand into glass, but we also master how to capture a brand identity through packaging. The products in the second edition of the O-I Design Book come from all over the world. They show how we help brands transform their packaging to reflect their personality and to satisfy consumer trends.

See Design Book 2

Innovating the Future of Glass Production: MAGMA

MAGMA, or Modular Advanced Glass Manufacturing Asset, reimagines the glassmaking process. A flexible, modular, standardized glass production line will enable rapid mobile capacity expansion in smaller increments. This transformation uniquely positions us to help customer brands better capitalize on market opportunities, opening up a new world of possibilities. We currently have both a prototype and pilot operating with this technology and expect scaled commercial viability by 2023.

International Year of Glass Media Resources

O-I glass is made in more than 20 countries around the globe, creating innovative, distinctive, and beautiful glass packaging that builds brands and drives consumer intrigue. O-I transforms packaging with our customers to create iconic bottles and jars that builds brands around the world. Led by our diverse team of approximately 24,000 people across 70 plants, O-I achieved revenues of $6.4 billion in 2021.

Recognizing the tremendous benefits of glass, the United Nations has designated 2022 as the International Year of Glass to celebrate the past, present, and future of this transformative material. This year-long event provides an opportunity to look at how neuroscience is shaping the packaging of today and how O-I is leading that transformation. The International Year of Glass is a bridge to share the story of our passionate glassmakers from your community and how they are making a global difference. This is a time to critically examine the sustainability of packaging and how glass answers critical issues regarding health, safety, food security, recycling, circularity, and waste reduction.

Our International Year of Glass O-I Media Resources page provides more background. The About O-I fact sheet (PDF) shares more than 100 years of transforming packaging. The sustainability fact sheets provide insight into O-I’s vision to be the most sustainable producer (PDF) of the most sustainable rigid packaging (PDF). Product photos from our Glass Catalog are available upon request. Contact Jim Woods with O-I Media Relations to connect with subject-matter experts and gather data.

International Year of Glass Learning Center

When lightning strikes sand, nature makes glass. For more than 100 years, O-I Glass has recreated Mother Nature’s magic by combining natural materials and heat to make glass bottles and jars. From the neuroscience that goes into designing the optimal experience for consuming foods and beverages from glass packaging to the subtle codes along the bottom of your glass package, there is much to learn and appreciate about modern glass packaging. Visit the links below to learn how to better appreciate the package that elevates the experience with your favorite foods and beverages.

The Future of Packaging Sustainability is Clear

Transparency is inherent to the glass containers we produce and the way we conduct our business. As a leader in the glass packaging industry, we recognize and embrace our role as a responsible corporate citizen and employer in the communities we serve around the world. We are guided by our core values of safety & wellbeing, diversity, equity & inclusion, passion, accountability and agility. We’re committed to transparency as we document our sustainable journey in leading the industry forward. Download our 2021 sustainability report to learn more about our sustainable advancements.

As we strive to be the most innovative, sustainable, and chosen supplier of brand-building packaging solutions, we have built a strong, resilient organization designed for the future. O-I is not only reimagining and reinventing the business model for glass packaging but also using transformative concepts to heighten our sustainability ambitions. As part of transforming how we engage for a balance with people, planet, and prosperity, we reimagined our sustainability function, elevated it to the global leadership level, and broadened and deepened our governance. We believe empowering our people under a broader sustainability umbrella with a more global reach will enhance our efforts to make progress toward our sustainability goals and alignment with the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals that are more relevant to our business. Join us on our path to a more sustainable future through glass packaging.