2022 has been declared The International Year of Glass (IYOG) by the United Nations. The year-long event kicked off with an opening ceremony in Geneva last week. On the editorial side, a Special Issue dedicated to France’s Glass Vallée—producer of more than 70% of the world's luxury glass packaging—will be published by Formes de Luxe this spring.
Organizers of the United Nations International Year of Glass describe the event as a vector to celebrate the “past, present and future of this transformative material […].” Throughout the year, a series of scientific congresses, workshops and cultural events will be held worldwide to mark the material’s importance and potential from a scientific, artistic and consumer perspective. In France, the world leader in luxury glass packaging, and home to 80% of the world’s perfumery glass production, projects are underway to spotlight the glass ecosystem.
One such initiative is La Route du Verre (or Glass Road), a project spearheaded by France’s Fédération du Cristal et du Verre, that will open crystal and glassworks, artisan glassmakers’ studios, museums and schools to the general public in a bid to raise awareness about the material.
France’s Ministry of Culture, meanwhile, is looking to safeguard the gestures inherent in glassmaking crafts. Already listed in the inventory of French intangible cultural heritage, the Ministry is preparing to apply for join UNESCO’s intangible cultural heritage list.
The trade press is also getting involved. Luxe Packaging Insight sister publication Formes de Luxe is set to publish a Special Issue of the print magazine devoted to the inner workings of business cluster Glass Vallée, a region in northern France that produces some 70% of the worldwide luxury glass packaging for the spirits, perfumery and cosmetics markets. The issue, to be published late May, is a co-creation with Glass Vallée and will give the floor to key industry players from the glass ecosystem – from mold makers, smelters, glassmakers and finishing and decoration specialists to logistics companies and educational institutions – essential to the creation of glass packaging for spirits and perfumery, while addressing the urgent issues currently facing the sector, a number of which have become increasingly problematic with the onset of the health pandemic.
