Pochet and Fives plan to build France’s first electric furnace dedicated to luxury glass bottles and jars
Innovations in glass melting technologies driven by clean energy are gaining ground in Europe. One example? The industrial coalition between the Pochet Group and Fives, set to drive construction of France’s first electric furnace for luxury glass packaging – supporting high-end brands in reducing emissions and achieving a circular economy across their product range.
Luxury consumer behaviour is changing fast. With consumers better informed about how products are made and what happens when they discard them, and carefully scrutinising their purchases in turn, brands are expected to go beyond profit-driven business strategies and provide more environmentally friendly packaging solutions.
French luxury glass manufacturer Pochet du Courval and industrial partner Fives Group are two standout companies that put responsible production and renewable electricity at the heart of their business models. Together, they combine their expertise to reduce carbon emissions and offer eco-friendly glass production.
Pochet du Courval is a key partner of the luxury industry, specializing in glass packaging for perfume, skincare and make-up. They recently made waves by joining forces with Chanel to produce the world’s first high-end recycled glass perfume bottle. With 400 years of experience in glass shaping and decoration behind them, the company has set a new goal to supply decarbonised glass to its customers by 2033, and reduce CO2 emissions during production by 50%. Located in France’s Normandy region, their Guimerville plant is a major industrial hub that produces and decorates more than a million glass bottles and jars daily for the most prominent cosmetics and fragrance companies.
Now, their cosmetics packaging is set to become more sustainable than ever, with the announcement that Pochet du Courval will invest in a new electric furnace at the Guimerville site, as the first French furnace dedicated to the production of glass flacons for the cosmetics industry. Set to be designed and supplied by Fives, a market leader in all-electric melting technologies, the new Prium® E-Melt cold-top vertical melter furnace will represent one of the most advanced technologies available to significantly reduce CO2 emissions on the market.
“Fives is committed to providing innovative solutions based on our proven technology to electrify glass process. We help the industry partners to meet their objectives in terms of decarbonisation, as well as to train technicians and operators at the plant level.” Alexandre Brusset, Vice-President of Glass at Fives
By forming this strategic partnership, both Pochet and Fives are undertaking a mission to make glass production more environmentally friendly for the customers who rely on it, joining extensive efforts across the industry – from the Vercane R&D project to decarbonise French glassmaking to the glass industry’s shared vision for the Furnaces of the Future. Their efforts may have a powerful effect on the whole luxury sector, inspiring more industry collaborations.
The decarbonisation efforts at the Guimerville plant shows that glass packaging can be the beating heart of Europe’s circular economy – delivering tomorrow’s beauty, today.
Groupe Pochet: The Pochet Group is a family business founded in 1623. Expert in multi-materials through the innovative combination of its know-how in glass, plastic, decoration and beauty accessories, the Pochet Group produces high-end packaging for the perfume, skincare and make-up markets. A pioneer in CSR, Responsible Excellence is at the heart of the Group’s values and strategy. The Pochet Group have celebrated 400 years of existence in 2023.
Fives Group: Fives is an industrial engineering group with a heritage of over 200 years and headquarters in Paris, France. Fives drives the limits of industrial engineering, ensuring continuous reliability for customers and the markets it serves. We design and supply production lines, machines and process equipment for industrial players in various sectors, such as steel, aerospace and special machining, aluminium, automotive and manufacturing industries, cement, energy, logistics and glass. Every day, Fives is committed to demonstrate that industry can do it
