PATHWAYS TO NET ZERO IN GLASS PACKAGING BY 2050
As EU countries set their sights on lowering greenhouse gas emissions by 55% by 2030, brands and retailers can expect more rigorous accountability and emphasis on their carbon goals and decarbonisation efforts. So how are long-term partners like the packaging sector supporting these efforts to reach ‘net zero’?
The European container glass industry’s new report marks the first and most comprehensive industry-wide research detailing how container glass manufacturers across Europe are tackling the challenge of decarbonisation. With an estimated 45,000 European manufacturing firms selling their products in glass, the industry plays an essential role in supplying a diverse range of brands with healthy, reusable and infinitely recyclable closed loop packaging. So how is the glass industry tackling this challenge to reach net zero glass production by 2050?
In this special episode of our Live Q&A series, Tim Sykes, Brand Director at Packaging Europe was joined by Romain Barral, Operations Director at Verallia, Patrick Kraft, Manager New Business Development & Sustainability at Gerresheimer, Sonya Pump, Sustainability Director at O-I and Fabrice Rivet, Technical Director at the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) to discuss the industry’s efforts and challenges as we explore the multiple pathways towards net zero: from energy efficiency technologies to low-carbon energy sources and redesigning packaging.
How is the container glass industry progressing on decarbonisation?
80% of the glass industry’s carbon emissions are direct emissions from the combustion of natural gas to run furnaces for glass production. That’s why glass manufacturers across Europe are investing in a variety of initiatives and breakthrough technologies that aim to replace the use of fossil fuels with cleaner low-carbon alternatives and optimise the plant’s energy efficiency to make the most of available energy sources.
Over the years, the industry has already made significant progress towards reducing its carbon footprint, with the average glass container emitting 70% less CO2 today than it did fifty years ago. The journey to decarbonise glass melting is underway, taking advantage of all possible energy pathways (electricity, biofuels and biogas, and hydrogen). But the path forward isn’t without its challenges.
“We have a clear path to the electrification of our furnaces, but now we need to make sure we can make it work at the right level and match to the furnace’s energy consumption.” – Romain Barral, Verallia
“Our companies are putting their weight behind a wide range of initiatives and projects to reduce the glass carbon footprint. Today, we invest more than €600 million per year in refurbishing our furnaces, but this figure will increase substantially because we will have to renew all the furnaces with new technologies.” – Fabrice Rivet, FEVE
To reach net zero by 2050, the time to act is now. Once installed, a furnace operates continuously for 15 years, meaning that replacing existing installations with new furnaces that use lower-carbon energy sources must wait until the end of its lifespan.
What’s more, technological breakthroughs are expensive, and the glass container industry is no exception: by 2050, an additional €20 billion will be required to modernise and decarbonise production technologies. That’s why the industry is now calling for more accessible low-carbon energy, by decreasing the cost of grid connection, increasing financial support for glassmakers who are switching to renewable energy and investments in the required infrastructure.
The importance of proper recycling and eco-design choices
While low-carbon energy and innovative furnace technologies together may address 80% of the industry’s direct emissions, they simultaneously strive to address the other 20%. As Fabrice Rivet showed, these come from the decomposition of raw materials used to produce glass containers. That’s why manufacturers across Europe are collectively working on sourcing alternative materials, such as recycled glass, and reducing the use of raw materials.
On average, 80.2% of glass packaging placed on the EU market in 2022 was collected for recycling and 92% of the total tonnage collected in Europe in 2019 was effectively recycled. This is possible, as glass is infinitely recyclable without any loss of quality nor any loss of material. Another significant opportunity lies in leveraging glass’ reusability, as the industry can design glass bottles that can be reused up to 20 to 30 times.
These intrinsic qualities of glass are an asset when it comes to achieving net-zero by 2050. Still, the industry needs the trust and support from brands to opt for these solutions.
To further reduce the amount of glass required, companies are also trying to lightweight, or “rightweight” glass bottles and jars, as explained by Sonya Pump.
“The glass industry is working on right- weighting glass containers, by ensuring the designs for containers use the minimum amount of glass required to ensure quality and functional glass containers.” – Sonya Pump, O-I
The design standards and capabilities of glass containers will continue to evolve with technological design innovation, so new eco-design principles are constantly in development. However, it’s important the industry receives support and trust from customers to make and invest in these changes.
“Eco-design is a challenge we cannot tackle alone, nor can our customers. It is a sustainability issue where cross-company collaboration and cooperation is a key success factor.” – Patrick Kraft, Gerresheimer
Enabling conditions
To drive these changes along and accelerate the progress already made, new production technologies will have to be deployed at a large scale across the EU. While the industry is fully committed to this transformation, it cannot achieve its ambitious goals alone. So, what is needed from customers, regulators and other stakeholders to make these solutions drive impact on a larger scale?
The number one priority is to ensure access to enough low carbon energy sources at an affordable price. This means we have to invest massively in grids and increase EU and national funding.
But low-carbon energy is not the only way forward. We also need to improve glass collection infrastructure through investment into municipal glass collection systems; educate customers on how to prepare their glass for recycling; and raise awareness of bottle bank locations.
Together with brands and retailers, we need to continue making sustainable design choices to increase the amount of recycled content in glass containers and follow lightweighting principles to reduce weight and volume without compromising on brand aesthetic. And lastly, we need identify and implement lower-carbon transport options and obtain grants, subsidies or tax breaks for companies investing in them.
“The future of the of the container glass industry is bright: glass is already one of the most inert materials. It is one of the most circular materials on the market as well. Once we have decarbonised the industry – and we will get there – glass will almost tick all the boxes to be regarded as the perfect packaging material for a sustainable future.” – Fabrice Rivet, FEVE
To accelerate the progress made, support and trust is needed from brands, retailers and consumers. Want to learn more about the different pathways to net zero glass production and how you can support? Download the full report.
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How do you see the future of glass packaging production? Which pathway to decarbonisation are you most interested by? Head over to LinkedIn and let us know and don’t hesitate to reach out in case of any follow-up questions. To keep up to date with the latest trends in the glass industry or our upcoming Q&As, don’t forget to follow us on LinkedIn.
