Model Lisa B helps launch Choose Glass Week

The model – best known for her turn as Hugh Grant’s other woman in the film Bridget Jones’ Diary – was on hand to help kick off the week-long pan-European event that aims to promote glass as a packaging material.

She said participating in Choose Glass Week was a simple and effective way to make a difference. “Glass is 100% sustainable and fully recyclable, with one recycled bottle saving enough energy to power your washing machine for 10 minutes.

“Glass doesn’t contaminate the food and drink it protects, helping to keep you and your family healthy,” she said.

Friends of Glass, which is running Choose Glass Week, is calling upon consumers to “vote with their shopping baskets” and urge retailers to stock products in glass containers.

Friends of Glass spokeswoman Truska Angel said: “Consumers need to express their preference for glass as clearly as possible to retailers to ensure their favourite products remain on the shelves.”

Events will be taking place across Europe and include the launch shop in Brussels.

Part of the message is the recyclability of glass and the organisation wants consumers to make sure they recycle more glass containers such as jam jars and sauce bottles. “If we recycle it, the glass goes back to the makers and we also reduce our carbon footprint.”

British Glass director general David Workman said it was important to ensure a good quality recyclate to be able to reprocess it, but that he was encouraged by recent trials to use multi-coloured material.

“It’s a bold move and certainly thinking outside the box. We welcome any initiatives that are geared towards getting more material back into remelt. The other thing is there are a lot of developments to improve sorting technology, which will help.”

Choose Glass Week is the latest stage in the Friends of Glass campaign to raise awareness of glass packaging. Earlier this year, Hank ‘the single bottle’ made his debut and Angel said it had been very effective in drawing people to the website.

For more on Choose Glass Week, click here.

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