In this world of subscriptions, rentals, and disposable products, the idea of something lasting for decades seems very strange… but there was a time when that was the mindset to adopt. Today we step onto the time machine to travel to 1977, when a group of scientists in East Germany patented a virtually indestructible glass called Ceverit. With the intention of commercializing this new product, those responsible renamed it Superfest, but it never crossed the Wall for a single reason: It did its job too well.
They say necessity is the mother of invention, and if there was a country that learned that the hard way, it was East Germany. Although it managed to become the most successful economy of the Eastern Bloc, the lack of resources was almost permanent, and its technological development left much to be desired in some fields. In the early '70s, shops in the DDR complained about the lack of availability of glass cups, to such an extent that (according to available information) they even came to serve beer in paper cups. The solution? Develop a glass strong enough to withstand daily use in those establishments.
Superfest / Ceverit, unbreakable glass on the other side of the Wall
Its development began in 1975, and two years later (August 8, to be precise), a team of four scientists led by Dieter Patzig patented a new manufacturing process for creating indestructible glass. Initially named Ceverit, the glass also received a patent in the United States, US4397668A. The promise of Ceverit was enormous: Glass cups that would last five times longer than a common cup. In practice, they are estimated to have lasted fifteen times longer, and the proof is in their availability, as it is not all that difficult to find them for sale on eBay.
Ceverit was a success in East Germany. Market saturation soon materialized, and the cups became known as Superfest, “Super hard”. Resistant, thin, light, easy to stack… it seems like a dream material, but Ceverit/Superfest soon fell into the trap of overproduction. The only path for that excess was export, and the sales representative in West Germany, Eberhard Pook, was convinced that Superfest would be a success.
However, they did not sell a single cup. The Coca-Cola contact simply told them: “Why would we use glass that doesn't break? We make money from our glasses.” Another representative was a bit more colorful in saying “Who would cut the branch they're sitting on?” That was Superfest's sin for the West: being too good. Inevitably, at this point one must mention things like the Phoebus cartel of light bulbs or the sabotage of nylon stockings. Planned obsolescence is a business model, after all…
Sources: Fern on YouTube, Florian Vick.
