Serving a population in excess of 1.3BN, China's glass industry has experienced dramatic growth in the past 15 years. This article provides a snapshot of recent trends in the local container sector. According to the Chinese Statistics Bureau, there are 808 companies operating in the glass industry, including state-owned and private enterprises, which are classified above designated size, with sales volume of over RMB 5M/Yuan. Total production from these companies in 2009 was 12.452M/tons, representing a 16.55% increase compared to 2008. China has around 150 glass container manufacturers, 40 of which are large-scale organisations. The USA's O-I; Australia's ACI; Hong Kong New World Group, Saint-Gobain Group are amongst those leading international glassmakers which have entered China, establishing several joint ventures or wholly foreign-owned factories, establishing advanced energy saving technologies to make lighter bottles.
