The Glad Products Company

The Glad Products Company is an American household-products business and brand associated primarily with trash bags, plastic food wrap, food-storage containers, and related waste-management products. Its history began within Union Carbide, where research and product-development work in Australia led to the creation of a polyethylene cling film. The film was developed at Union Carbide Australia's Rhodes facility in Sydney by research chemist Douglas Lyons Ford, using a polyethylene formulation with an additive that gave the material its cling properties. The manufacturing process used blown-film extrusion, after which the tubular film was slit and wound into rolls for household use. Glad Wrap entered the American market in 1963, positioning the product against established food-wrap products such as Saran Wrap. The same year, Union Carbide transferred Douglas G. Taylor from its Pittsburgh operations to lead the Glad Wrap project. The brand subsequently expanded beyond food wrap into refuse bags and other plastic household products. Glad Wrap and Glad Bags were introduced in Australia in 1966, where Glad became an early supplier of cling-type food wrap. The brand's Australian marketing included a consumer competition in The Australian Women's Weekly that invited readers to suggest uses for the material, helping demonstrate its practical applications in everyday household tasks. The company and brand went through several ownership changes. In the United States, Union Carbide divested the brand in 1985 to First Brands Corporation, a consumer-products company whose portfolio also included automotive and battery brands. First Brands was acquired by The Clorox Company in 1998, bringing Glad into Clorox's household-products portfolio. Ownership in Australia followed a separate path for a period: Industrial Equity Limited acquired the Australian Glad business in 1988, and the brand later became part of National Foods when that company was floated in 1991. First Brands reacquired Glad in Australia from National Foods in 1997, and Clorox obtained ownership there in 1998 through its acquisition of First Brands. These transactions ultimately consolidated ownership of the Glad brand under Clorox across its principal markets. Glad's product scope has developed around two connected household needs: containing waste and preserving food. Its refuse products include kitchen, outdoor, recycling, and specialty trash bags, with product families such as ForceFlex emphasizing flexible construction and resistance to tearing. Its food-storage portfolio includes cling wrap, containers, zipper bags, and related items intended to cover, organize, or protect food. The brand has historically marketed convenience, durability, sealing, and ease of use as core benefits. Advertising has been an important part of Glad's identity. A recurring character known as the Man from Glad appeared in advertisements as a white-haired spokesman in a white suit who arrived with theatrical, sometimes spy-themed devices to solve household problems. Tom Bosley was among the actors associated with the character. Historic advertising lines included “Why Take Chances, Get Glad!” and “Don't get mad! Get Glad!” In the 2000s, the brand also connected itself with community event operations: it became an official sponsor of New Orleans Mardi Gras in 2006 and supported sanitation and post-event cleanup activities in partnership with the city's sanitation department, continuing as a major sponsor in 2007. Today, Glad operates as a Clorox-owned consumer brand. Its public-facing range remains centered on household waste bags, food wrap, food-storage products, and recycling-related bags. The company is distinct from similarly named entities because the authoritative subject is the Glad household-products business described in The Glad Products Company article.

Glad originated within Union Carbide's consumer-products activities. The brand's first major product was Glad Wrap, a polyethylene cling film developed in Australia during the early 1960s. Union Carbide research chemist Douglas Lyons Ford worked on the product at the company's Rhodes plant in Sydney. The material used polyethylene combined with a stickifying additive, and it was manufactured as a continuous tube through blown-film extrusion. The tube was then slit into flat film and wound into rolls for household use. Union Carbide introduced Glad Wrap in the United States in 1963, where it competed with Saran Wrap and other food-covering products. Douglas G. Taylor was transferred from Union Carbide's Pittsburgh facility that year to direct the Glad Wrap project. David Darroch is identified in historical accounts as the founder and chief executive of the Glad Products Company. The product line expanded from food wrap into refuse bags and other plastic household products, creating the two categories that would define the brand: food preservation and household waste containment. Glad Wrap and Glad Bags entered the Australian market in 1966. Glad was among the first brands to bring cling-type food wrap to Australian consumers. Its launch marketing used a reader competition in The Australian Women's Weekly, asking people to propose practical uses for the product. The winning suggestion involved covering hors d'oeuvres before guests arrived, while another proposed using the material to keep sewing buttons separated. Union Carbide also purchased the Brisbane company OSO and introduced OSO as a lower-priced competing brand in 1968. Ownership changed substantially from the mid-1980s onward. Union Carbide divested Glad in the United States in 1985 to First Brands Corporation. First Brands owned a broad portfolio of consumer and automotive products, including Eveready and Energizer batteries, Simoniz, and Prestone. In Australia, Glad was acquired by Industrial Equity Limited in 1988 and subsequently became part of National Foods when that business was floated in 1991. First Brands reacquired the Australian Glad business from National Foods in 1997. The following year, The Clorox Company acquired First Brands, thereby bringing Glad under Clorox ownership in the United States and Australia and consolidating the brand's ownership across its major markets. The brand's advertising history includes the Man from Glad, an older white-haired spokesman usually shown in a white suit. In earlier campaigns he appeared as a theatrical household problem-solver, sometimes arriving in devices inspired by espionage and adventure films. Tom Bosley was one of the actors to portray the character. Glad advertising also used the lines “Why Take Chances, Get Glad!” and “Don't get mad! Get Glad!” In the twenty-first century, the brand continued to market trash bags, recycling bags, food wrap, and food-storage products. Its association with New Orleans Mardi Gras provided a notable example of event marketing. Glad became the carnival's first official sponsor in 2006 and worked with the city sanitation department on maintenance and cleanup. It was also a major sponsor in 2007. The modern Glad portfolio remains focused on products that contain waste, preserve food, and simplify routine household storage.

• 1998

  Clorox acquires First Brands

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Clorox Company acquired First Brands and became the owner of Glad in the United States and Australia.

• 1997

  First Brands reacquires Glad in Australia

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  First Brands bought the Australian Glad business from National Foods, reuniting it with the wider Glad portfolio.

• 1991

  Glad becomes part of National Foods

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Australian brand became part of National Foods when that company was floated.

• 1988

  Industrial Equity Limited acquires Glad in Australia

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  The Australian Glad business changed ownership to Industrial Equity Limited.

• 1985

  Glad is divested to First Brands Corporation

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Union Carbide sold the United States Glad business to First Brands Corporation.

• 1968

  OSO is introduced in Australia

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  After Union Carbide purchased Brisbane company OSO, it launched the OSO brand as a lower-priced competitor to Glad.

• 1966

  Glad Wrap and Glad Bags launch in Australia

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Glad expanded its Australian offering with food wrap and refuse bags, becoming an early cling-wrap brand in that market.

• 1963

  Glad Wrap launches in the United States

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Union Carbide introduced Glad Wrap, a polyethylene cling film, to the American market in competition with Saran Wrap.

• 1963

  Douglas G. Taylor takes leadership of the Glad Wrap project

  [1]The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org

  Union Carbide transferred Taylor from Pittsburgh to lead the Glad Wrap project; he later headed Glad sales and marketing until his retirement.

A mainstream-to-premium household storage and waste-containment brand emphasizing convenience, flexible and tear-resistant materials, food protection, and practical product design.

• Food wrap · 1963

  Glad Wrap

  Glad Wrap is the brand's polyethylene cling film for covering and protecting food. Developed within Union Carbide's Australian research operations, it was introduced in the United States in 1963 and in Australia in 1966. The product helped establish Glad as a household name in food preservation before the company broadened into bags and storage products.

• Trash bags

  Glad ForceFlex

  ForceFlex is a Glad trash-bag family built around flexible material and tear-resistant construction. It is positioned for routine kitchen and household waste disposal, with variants across different capacities and use cases. The line represents Glad's emphasis on combining strength, stretch, and easier handling in refuse bags.

• Food wrap

  Glad Press'n Seal

  Press'n Seal is a Glad food-covering product designed to adhere to compatible surfaces and create a tighter covering than conventional loose-fitting wrap. It extends the brand's food-preservation positioning beyond traditional cling film and is marketed for covering, sealing, and protecting food during storage.

• Food storage

  Glad food-storage containers and bags

  Glad's food-storage range includes containers and resealable bags intended to organize, protect, and preserve food in refrigerators, freezers, and household pantries. These products complement the brand's wraps by offering reusable or closable storage formats for everyday meal preparation and leftovers.

• Recycling and waste bags

  Glad recycling bags

  Glad recycling bags are designed for collecting recyclable household materials and form part of the brand's broader waste-containment portfolio. They extend Glad beyond conventional kitchen trash bags into sorting and handling household waste for recycling.

• 2007Continued Mardi Gras sponsorship

  United States

  Glad continued as a major sponsor of New Orleans Mardi Gras and remained involved in the event's cleanup and sanitation program.

  Outcome. The brand extended its event-marketing and civic-cleanup association for another carnival season.

  Source
• 2006New Orleans Mardi Gras sponsorship

  United States

  Glad became the first official sponsor of New Orleans Mardi Gras and worked with the city's sanitation department on carnival maintenance and cleanup.

  Outcome. The sponsorship linked the waste-bag brand with a high-volume public event and its sanitation needs.

  Source
• 1966Australian Women's Weekly uses competition

  Australia

  Glad promoted its Australian launch by asking readers of The Australian Women's Weekly to submit practical uses for its cling wrap. The activity encouraged consumers to imagine applications beyond basic food covering.

  Outcome. The competition generated household-use ideas and helped demonstrate the versatility of the newly introduced product.

  Source
• 1960The Man from Glad

  United States

  Glad used a recurring white-haired spokesman in a white suit as a theatrical household problem-solver. Commercials often gave the character spy-style entrances and elaborate gadgets, making the brand recognizable through humor and visual storytelling.

  Outcome. The character became one of Glad's most recognizable long-running advertising devices.

  Source

• 1998

  Clorox acquires First BrandsM&A

  Background

  First Brands owned Glad along with several other household and automotive product businesses.

  Action taken

  The Clorox Company acquired First Brands Corporation.

  Aftermath

  Clorox became the owner of Glad and consolidated ownership of the brand in the United States and Australia.

  Source

• 1997

  First Brands reacquires Glad in AustraliaM&A

  Background

  The Australian Glad business had been held by Industrial Equity Limited and later National Foods.

  Action taken

  First Brands purchased the Australian Glad brand from National Foods.

  Aftermath

  The Australian business was reunited with First Brands' wider Glad holdings before Clorox acquired First Brands.

  Source

• 1985

  Divestiture from Union Carbide to First BrandsM&A

  Background

  Union Carbide separated the Glad business from its portfolio as part of a broader ownership transition.

  Action taken

  First Brands Corporation acquired the Glad business in the United States.

  Aftermath

  Glad became part of First Brands' consumer-products portfolio until First Brands was acquired by Clorox in 1998.

  Source

1. 1The Glad Products Companyen.wikipedia.org
2. 2Glad official websiteglad.com