O-I Glass

o-i glass

Type: ESG Communications

Top Tier Media Impressions

O-I Glass is an American company that specializes in container glass products. It is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of packaging products, holding the position of largest manufacturer of glass containers in North America, South America, Asia-Pacific and Europe.

Key Highlights:

Raising awareness of dwindling glass recycling supplies in the U.S.
Inspire customers to recycle and increase use of glass containers

Overview

O-I Glass, the world’s leading glass manufacturer, engaged Reputation Partners to assist in raising U.S. awareness of dwindling glass recycling supplies by the nation’s municipalities and glass consumers, and to inspire consumers to increase glass recycling behavior and to purchase products contained in glass.

To help reverse this glass supply crisis and raise awareness to glass’ benefits over competing substrate materials like plastic or aluminum, the team launched a national media relations campaign to raise awareness of these challenges among local and federal government officials and consumers in critical markets.

Strategy

Reputation Partners launched a media relations campaign tapping into the impact of COVID-19 on glass recycling, making media aware of the glass recycling shortage and its potential impact on supply chains, which would have significant ramifications for consumers and society during COVID-19.

This campaign leveraged global and U.S. interest in how COVID-19 is affecting pharmaceutical and food and beverage supply chains, particularly focusing on vital commodities packaged in glass like food and beverage and medicine for potential COVID-19 treatments.

The media relations campaign was three pronged, focusing pitching efforts to the following media segments:

National supply chain, consumer, environmental and health media
Prominent regional media in markets where glass recycling supplies most precipitously dropped, notably Philadelphia and Washington D.C.
Metropolitan Washington DC media, implementing policy-focused messaging to increase awareness for policy makers and influence them to enact measures to support pro-glass recycling policy efforts

Results

Spanning eight weeks during the COVID-19 pandemic, O-I Glass and its pro-recycling key messaging was featured in global and U.S. top-tier media including the Wall Street Journal, Fast Company, Financial Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, NBC Washington and important trade media.

O-I received feature coverage spanning these publications exceeding 34 million total impressions, which directly engaged U.S. consumers, state and federal policy makers, and the global recycling industry.

Top-Tier Media Features

Fast Company: The COVID-19 vaccine will require billions of glass vials—but lockdowns are cratering the supply of recycled glass

The Wall Street Journal: Supply chains, safety protocols hobble U.S. factories

Regional Media Coverage

Philadelphia Inquirer: The latest coronavirus side effect: lots more curbside trash, but less recycling

NBC Washington: Cuts to curbside collection hurt recycled glass supply

WTOL-TV: Glass: the perfect recyclable

Trade Media Coverage

Waste360: Another pandemic-related shortage: glass

American Recycler: Glass Recycling Stalls in U.S.(front-page cover story)

Poynter: A glass shortage could be a huge problem for distributing a COVID-19 vaccine