Press
Release

Glass is Life

Bussigny, Switzerland (7th June 2011) – O-I (Owens-Illinois, Inc. – NYSE: OI), the world’s largest glass container manufacturer, today announced the launch of Glass Is Life™. This groundbreaking marketing campaign is designed to showcase the unique qualities of glass packaging, and its unmatched ability to build successful food and beverage brands. O-I’s first ever global marketing campaign, Glass Is Life™ also highlights the inherent love consumers have for glass.

“O-I’s extensive research shows a strong demand for glass among consumers, but the marketplace does not adequately reflect this interest. We aim to influence the food and beverage industry’s packaging decisions by showing the power of glass,” said Al Stroucken, Chairman and CEO of O-I. “As the leading maker of the purest and most sustainable packaging, O-I is excited to spearhead a movement that demonstrates the unique attributes of glass packaging and brings brands back into glass.”

Voices for glass

Running across print, online and social media channels, Glass is Life™ is being launched in Europe, North America, Latin America and Asia Pacific simultaneously. It features individuals around the world – CEOs, brand managers, chefs, environmentalists, designers and other opinion leaders – explaining in their own words why glass packaging is so important to them.

These voices for glass include:

• Sanpellegrino S.p.A. Chairman and CEO Stefano Agostini, who says glass showcases the quality of the S. Pellegrino brand
• Monini CEO Zefferino Monini, who chooses glass because it best preserves the flavour of his extra virgin olive oil
• Environmentalist Celine Cousteau, granddaughter of Jacques Cousteau, who prefers glass because it is natural, healthy and sustainable
• true fruits Co-Founder Nic Lecloux, who says glass demonstrates the quality and sophistication of his premium product.
• Chef Geir Skeie, who likes glass because it doesn’t transfer any flavour to his ingredients or to the finished dish

Consumers know glass is better

Based on years of extensive business and consumer research , O-I has discovered that taste, quality, health and sustainability (see: http://www.glassislife.com/caseforglass.aspx ) are the glass attributes that resonate most strongly with consumers around the world.

In a global study first commissioned by O-I in November 2008, consumers said that when faced with the option between glass and other packaging, they will choose glass first and would like to see more glass packaging options. For example, in the food category, 91% of consumers worldwide indicated that they prefer glass, but only about 10% of foods are packaged in glass. O-I is working closely with customers around the world to increase the availability of food and beverage products in glass.

In a European survey2 commissioned with 8,000 consumers by FEVE (the European Container Glass Federation) in 2010, 74% of consumers said they preferred glass and would “definitely” or “probably” recommend it to friends and family. Reflecting the value they have for glass’s inherent attributes, 65% of Europeans believe that glass is best at preserving taste and 63% say it’s safest for their health. Glass is also perceived as the least harmful material for the environment, offering the highest level of recycling and the lowest level of pollution.

“It’s clear that glass builds brands and is preferred by consumers, but with an increasing bombardment of confusing packaging messages, sometimes this true preference is forgotten. We felt that the time had come to put glass back into the conversation by enabling people with a passion for glass to speak for themselves,” says Jose Lorente, O-I Europe President.

“It’s time to tell the world about the benefits of glass,” said Erasmo Schutzer, vice president and chief marketing officer for O-I. “The thought leaders featured in O-I’s Glass Is Life™ campaign are instrumental in helping us launch a more aggressive marketing strategy. Together we’ll show how glass preserves flavour, maintains health, enhances quality, protects the environment and builds brands.”

Glass delivers for top brands

O-I has been manufacturing iconic glass containers for leading consumer brands like Coca-Cola, PepsiCo, Heinz, Anheuser-Busch InBev, Nestlé, Pernod Ricard and SABMiller since 1903. Today, O-I provides the highest quality glass packaging materials to companies in more than 80 countries.

This month, O-I’s Glass Is Life™ advertisements will launch in 12 countries and seven languages. To view videos, infographics and images visit http://GlassIsLife.com, or join the glass conversation on Facebook and Twitter (http://twitter.com/#!/GlassIsLife ).