Group Advocates Use of Glass Products, not Plastic for Packaging

Bennett Oghifo

A group, Arcline Beehive Design Foundation (ABDF) is advocating a return to the use of glass in packaging water and other liquids because it is more environmentally sustainable than plastics currently being widely used for packaging.

The group, ABDF, states that it engages in the “Propagation of environmental and sustainable development practices – providing guidance, training and solutions for stakeholders.”

On account of the United Nations declaration of 2022 as the International Year of Glass, ABDF has decided to hold year-long activities to sensitise Nigerians, particularly policy makers on the need to return to the use of glass products in packaging of liquids, including water and not plastics which are neither recyclable nor degradable.

The activities planned, according to the Chairman of Arcline Beehive Design Foundation Board, Mr. Adeolu Okulaja, would include the facilitation of training opportunities for people interested in learning the art of glass blowing to form containers and ornamental products.

Okulaja stated this during their visit to the Lagos State Ministry of the Environment and the University of Lagos, which is expected to collaborate with them in the year-long activities.

At the meeting were, Mr Adebayo Okuwobi, Mr Adeolu Okulaja, Mrs Funmilola Eyeoyinbo, Dr. Hassan Sanuth, Mr. Adeoye, Mrs Oguntola, Mr. Segun Jemitola,

Mrs Obisesan and Mrs Akinwusi.

He said, “We are planning to have a year-long celebration with the University of Lagos. We feel that UNILAG, as an institution, is the best place to push the sustainable development goals.

“We are partnering with the University of Lagos. The Vice-Chancellor is fully involved. The Faculty of Environmental Sciences is the base of the celebration and we are calling on all partners, financial, technology, social sciences, philanthropists, international bodies, embassies, consulates, all of them to join us in that celebration. We’re going to have one event for each of the months. Now for the first one that we’re going to have in January, we are going to introduce the Sustainable Development Goals. There are 21 of them. We have a target of 2030 to meet some of those goals. So we are going to introduce them to the whole community and reintroduce them into the country and say, well, these are sustainable development goals. What do you know about them? And then we’re also now going to take each one of those goals that supports the international year of Glass. “There are 11 of them that have been outlined and bring them to the fore.”

He said their visit to the Ministry of Environment was because the ministry was deeply engaged in environmental awareness and that things were going on around sustainable development. He said, “Climate change is very crucial to the advancement of humankind, not even Nigeria, You know. So when we are talking about the environment, we are talking about things that are going to advance human beings and make their lives better. “So to come to the reason why we are here today, like Dr Sannut said, we are working also with them on some other aspects of the environment, which includes sanitation, trying to bring up the sanitation infrastructure in Lagos State. It’s also our desire to continue to work in other areas. That’s why we have looked at this and said, oK, this is something we want to do.

“All the activities have been put into motion to make sure that glass on its own as a material is celebrated as a material of excellence. It is a sustainable material that can be defined as maybe the first one for the circular economy. You know, glass is one that can be recycled innumerable times in a closed loop. So if you have glass and you break it, you can turn it back into glass without any loss of material. And it will continue to retain that consistency.”

According to Dr Sannut, “Glasses in whatever form we have can be reused. At worst, you even see them being used on fences as defense. So the reuse of bottles is something that we are so used to. And as I said, it’s reintroduced the last time we went to the cistern. Yes, there are different kinds and most of their hotels, now they are going back to bottle water in glass, that means they are serving you with water in the glass bottle. You return the bottle for them to sterilise and it’s still used for repackaging. “And once you are going to use your glass cup to drink, it’s not compulsory you must use disposable.”

On the use of glass in buildings, he said, “Even in the built environment, we realise that it is so conducive to be in glass houses because of the weight we put on the environment as well. “Once we just have some skeleton structure, instead of now putting block block block we realise that even where we are sitting now the glass is more than 50 percent.

“So, it is something that we should all believe in and we should be ready to work on that aspect as well. So taking it from the area of sustainable development, as you’ve said, it cuts across a lot of activities that we are preaching on, that we are working upon. So we have a section on education, environmental education and I feel they can come up with something very fantastic on the issue of Glass as well. Presently, we have some collaboration with corporate bodies and they have been on the field.”

Mr. Oguntola said, “Glass is declining. In those days all our beverages and soft drink bottles were glass, even the hard drinks and everything were in glass bottles, but these days we are having the plastics and the known cans taking over.

“We are having most manufacturers using plastic packaging materials instead of glass which I believe is even more environmentally friendly. if you compare it with the plastic packaging. So is there any way we can promote the use of Glass again? if you look at the buildings…..majorly the glass is used in high rises and the usual buildings that we have located like the bungalow the one story building were most of it is concrete block, we need to also promote glass in the built industry more use of glass because if you use glass you can even save your bills on energy. If you have a glass ceiling you will find out that the house will be lit even throughout the day you may not even need to put on all these, if you have a glass where the sun’s light can easily penetrate.”