Industry: shortage of glass bottles

Glass is made with gas, but since the start of the war in Ukraine, the price of gas has risen sharply, bringing with it a drop in the production of glass bottles. “I’ve worked here for thirty years, it’s never happened” says the boss of a factory specializing in the production of pastis and cocktails. Economically, this is a problem since the company achieves the most sales in the summer. The price of glass has increased by almost 25% to 50% in 2022.

For factories that bottle, the price of gas causes a decrease in production, but this is not the only reason for the drop in yield. Ukraine has seven bottle factories and no longer exports them because of the war. “All of a sudden, we find ourselves with a rupture and not being able to supply our local, national or international consumers”says Charles Larcher, president of a bottling plant.