New study confirms opaque glass can perform strongly in Europe’s recycling system 

Published on 29 January 2026, a technical study by Stazione Sperimentale del Vetro provides important evidence for brands, designers and policymakers working on recyclable glass packaging. 

Published by FEVE and FERVER, the study examines how opaque glass packaging performs in real European glass-recycling infrastructure, focusing on whether optical sorting systems in cullet treatment plants can correctly recognise opaque glass fragments as glass. 

Based on laboratory measurements and industrial-scale trials across nine European treatment plants, the research found that today’s optical sorting technologies can reliably identify opaque glass fragments with an average visible light transmittance above 2.5%. 

For brands, packaging designers and policymakers, the study supports circular design decisions and reinforces the importance of packaging rules that reflect real-world recycling performance.