Glass manufacturer and co-packer Encirc has entered into a partnership with Diageo to build a new hydrogen-powered glass furnace at its Elton plant in Cheshire, the UK.
The partnership will see the partners manufacturing net-zero glass bottles at scale by 2030.
The furnace will help the company reduce carbon emissions by 90% as it will operate on a mix of green electricity and low-carbon hydrogen, sourced from the Vertex (HyNet) plant in Cheshire.
The facility will be fully operational by 2027, with an annual production capacity of 200 million bottles for Smirnoff, Captain Morgan, Gordon’s and Tanqueray.
Adrian Curry, managing director of Encirc said, "This will be a major step in our goal of producing net-zero glass by 2030. With support from the government and key partners, Encirc and Diageo we believe it will be possible to have this first-of-its-kind furnace up and running at the beginning of 2027."-
“Glass is an incredible material being infinitely recyclable and chemically inert. It has been around since 3500 BC and has never been produced in this way. This is about protecting glass as a material by addressing the carbon challenge.”
Sustainable Glass Production
Encirc, which focuses on sustainable glass production, teamed up with glass industry partners Glass Futures in 2021 to test one of its furnaces in its Northern Ireland plant.
The furnace uses sustainable biofuels and manufactures packaging for many brands, including Diageo’s Black & White bottles.
It is made of 100% recycled glass, reducing carbon footprint by up to 90% compared with a standard glass bottle.
Decarbonising glass packaging will be a key part of the UK government’s commitment to reach net zero by 2050, Diageo noted.
The zero-carbon furnace will help Diageo achieve its target to reduce carbon emissions across its supply chain by 2030.
© 2022 European Supermarket Magazine – your source for the latest packaging and design news. Article by Dayeeta Das. Click subscribe to sign up to ESM: European Supermarket Magazine.
