Reaching net zero in the glass industry: pathways and strategies

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Europe’s glass industry is actively working towards the goal of achieving net zero emissions by 2050 – but how will it achieve this, and what progress has it made? As readers will see from comments we have gathered from brands, producers and other stakeholders, strategies are focused heavily on decarbonizing production and circularity, as well as lobbying for enabling policies and investment.  

It is only relatively recently that the glass industry has begun to proactively communicate on concrete commitments and actions undertaken by the container glass industry in Europe on decarbonization. We asked Michael Del Selve, head of Marketing and Communications at the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE), why this is. 

“In recent years, there has been a notable shift in how carbon emissions are communicated. This change has been driven by new regulatory requirements, by the industry’s growing commitment to sustainability and by stakeholders’ growing demand for carbon data. As a result, carbon emissions disclosure is increasingly seen as an opportunity enabling companies to proactively benchmark themselves and allowing the market to recognize the urgent need for new technologies to foster greener production processes. Additionally, this is the major challenge the industry needs to address to position glass packaging as truly circular and sustainable packaging material ” 

According to Michael, FEVE has identified three main focus areas, or ‘pillars’, for the glass industry: climate neutrality and energy, circularity, health and safety. And all of these, of course, must be viewed in the context of the latest legislation – such as the recently adopted Packaging and Packaging Waste Regulation (PPWR).  

When it comes to the key strategies for sustainability within the industry, we will focus in particular on the first two: climate neutrality and circularity, looking at the routes that can be taken for both of these and the kind of initiatives that have already been put in place. 

Decarbonizing production

From a sustainability perspective, glass has the undeniable advantage of infinite recyclability. However, it’s no secret that this material is highly energy-intensive due to the high melting temperatures (usually above 1500°C) needed for production, and is also currently more costly compared to other substrates such as plastic.  

The routes to addressing this issue, as laid out in the FEVE report, “One Destination, Multiple Pathways: How the European Container Glass Industry in Decarbonizing Glassmaking”, include investing in transitioning to renewable and low-carbon energy sources; increasing the collection and recycling of glass as  a ‘permanent material’ that will allow the industry to lower the carbon footprint through reduced energy requirements in the melting process compared to the use of virgin raw materials; designing for material reduction; reducing and optimizing energy consumption through more efficient transport;. 

The industry, says Michael, has turned the EU objective of carbon neutrality by 2050 into an opportunity to drive lasting change and project the industry and glass packaging into the future: being already endlessly recyclable and according to FEVE the safest material for food contact, glass packaging ‘already ticks most of the sustainability and health requirements’. The sector is testing alternative melting technologies such as electric furnaces and hydrogen-fuelled furnaces, biofuels, high-temperature green hydrogen generation, green ammonia cracking, hybrid/hydrogen forehearths, and so on. 

While still not fully scaled – something that will require massive capital and operational investments – there are already more that 100 projects implementing these innovative production technologies and other solutions to decarbonize glass packaging. To give just a few examples: Ardagh Glass Packaging in Obernkirchen, Germany produced the first amber coloured bottles using their breakthrough NextGen Furnace hybrid technology that aims to use up to 80% renewable electricity for melting glass. NextGen Furnace has achieved a consistent 64% reduction in CO2 emissions in 2024, 55 compared to a typical 330ml glass bottle.  

Elsewhere, O-I recently announced that it has successfully completed a ‘groundbreaking’ trial in its plant in Harlow, UK, using 100% biofuel to replace natural gas in the furnace for the glass-making process.  

There have also been developments in the area of electric furnaces. Verallia ignited the first 100% electric furnace at its Cognac plant reducing CO2 emissions by 60% compared to a traditional furnace. Glass producer Zignano Vetro has also been testing electric- and hydrogen-powered furnaces, including through its work in the EU-funded H2Glass project, which is ‘committed to accelerating the decarbonization in the glass industry by developing and applying the technology stack needed to realize full H2 combustion in glass production facilities’.  

Energy efficiency technologies such as thermochemical regeneration also have distinct possibilities for improving energy efficiency and reducing overall carbon emissions. O-I Glass and Linde announced plans to install Linde’s proprietary OPTIMELTTM Thermochemical Regenerator (TCR) technology at O-I’s container glass plant in Holzminden, Germany. This collaboration is expected to significantly reduce both fuel consumption and fuel-based Scope 1 carbon dioxide emissions for O-I.

Affordability

But while undoubtedly promising, there are some significant stumbling blocks for these decarbonization technologies to be adopted more widely, one of which is related to cost. 

“Today, low-carbon energy sources are often less cost-competitive compared to conventional fossil fuels,” says Maximilian Kemp, Senior Energy Policy Manager at FEVE. “This highlights the need for greater investment and policy support to scale up renewable energy infrastructure.” 

Talking with O-I , they pointed out that furnace rebuilds occur only every ~15 years, and decarbonization technologies can cost 2–5x more than traditional rebuilds, making them hard to justify economically, and overall making it difficult to move quickly on decarbonization.  

Furthermore, following on from the successful biofuel trials we mentioned above, they pointed out that “Biofuel is proving to be an effective solution for decarbonization for the glass industry. But for this to be a large-scale solution, there needs to be significantly more availability at an economic price. In addition, accounting methodologies need to be updated to show the value of biofuel and allow glass companies to reduce their scope 1 emissions.” 

It is essential moving forward to ensure access to enough low carbon energy sources at an affordable price. Continuing to accelerate the pace of investment in renewable generation and storage to structurally bring down the price of electricity will be essential in this regard, alongside supportive policies to boost production of renewable and low-carbon gases. However, this will not happen immediately – in the short-term, says FEVE, greater support at EU and national level is required to cover the cost gap with fossil fuels. 

Capacity itself is also a major factor. Many decarbonization technologies require increased electrification, but in several regions grid capacity would need to be enhanced significantly to accommodate this – meaning there is a need for substantial investment in grid infrastructure across the continent. 

Fluctuating market conditions

We spoke with Urška Plavčak, Strategic Marketing Director at Vaider Group, a parent company to glass manufacturer Hrastnik1860, who emphasized the volatility of the EU energy market and considerable uncertainty regarding which clean energy source – electricity, hydrogen, ammonia, biogas etc. – will come to dominate in future. This volatility can present serious challenges to the glass manufacturing sector. 

“At the same time,” says Urška, “the future cost of energy and utilities is unclear, making it difficult to determine the long-term viability of natural gas. Additionally, regulatory frameworks related to grid taxation, renewable energy support schemes (e.g. for hydrogen production), and infrastructure vary significantly across EU member states. This fragmentation forces glass producers to adopt hybrid melting solutions that can flexibly adapt to shifting energy markets, customer demands, and local regulations.” 

She also suggests that, with recent economic pressures, the focus in EU energy markets may be shifting away from sustainability and back to cost competitiveness. This can clearly disrupt long-term planning for glass producers. 

Therefore, “R&D should focus on enabling furnaces to provide system services to distribution system operators (DSOs) and transmission system operators (TSOs), as well as to participate in energy markets through mechanisms such as energy arbitrage, tariff optimization, and balancing group (BRP) portfolio optimization. These capabilities can significantly reduce energy costs and improve overall competitiveness.”

Increasing circularity

We know that glass is a highly recyclable – and indeed widely recycled – material. According to the latest Eurostat data (2022), 75.6% of glass packaging placed on the EU market was recycled and as much as 85% of glass collected is recycled back into packaging. This, says FEVE, gives glass packaging a unique role in Europe’s circular economy. The industry is working towards strengthening robust closed-loop recycling systems to minimize waste, maximize resource utilization and reduce CO2 emissions. 

The glass industry has joined forces with key players along the glass value chain to form ‘Close the Glass Loop’, a multi-stakeholder initiative that aims to bring post-consumer recycled cullet back into production cycles throughout Europe. It encompasses the entire value chain across 13 countries, including glass producers, brands, consumers, extended producer responsibility (EPR) schemes and municipalities. 

In June 2024, Close the Glass Loop published a roadmap to optimize closed loop recycling of glass packaging. It is clear that, as with decarbonization there is much to be done here to achieve high recycling rates everywhere across Europe. Routes to addressing the challenge, as we shall see, encompass consumer education, optimizing separate collection systems and encouraging investment in recycling infrastructure, among others. 

Increasing awareness

As with any circular packaging initiative, getting consumers to understand the benefits of glass and its value ‘as a material that can be infinitely recycled without losing quality’ will be key to building a future-proof closed loop system.  

Furthermore, says Vanessa Chesnot, Head of Public Affairs & Product Policy, FEVE, it is crucial that consumers understand glass is not just highly recyclable, but is also “inherently safe and inert. Communicating these qualities helps consumers make informed choices, especially when compared to other packaging materials that may pose risks through chemical migration or degradation.” 

Optimizing recycling

There are several facets to address here. Improving the glass recycling stream means focusing on better methods of collecting glass from consumers in order to increase the volume and quality of collected glass.  

“In many regions,” says Vanessa, “collection systems are still not optimized, resulting in either a shortage of recycled glass or higher costs to obtain high-quality cullet.”  

In terms of recyclability, the type of glass container being used and the product it contains are also key factors. It’s a fact that dark glass containers can yield higher percentages of recycled content as they can incorporate cullet of various colours without requiring precise sorting. But in sectors such as food or personal care, perfectly transparent glass made from virgin raw materials is still often seen by consumers, rightly or wrongly, as an indicator of quality or safety.  

Addressing this means both innovation in recycling processes – such as for example by using AI or optical sensors to sort glass more efficiently by colour – or, more simply, by promoting greater consumer acceptance of coloured glass with high PCR content for high-value segments. 

Deploying reuse

Europe’s policymakers are increasingly emphasizing the importance of reuse and refill as part of a circular economy. For example, the PPWR states that as of 2030, retailers and hospitality operators will have to ensure that at least 10% of alcoholic and non-alcoholic beverages are made available in reusable packaging that is part of a reuse system, and by 2040 this figure rises to 40%.  

Glass is the leading reusable packaging option for beverages. From an environmental perspective, even in cases where reusable packaging is made from materials that are heavier than standard single-use, there can still be overall environmental savings in short-distance supply chains if the number of times the pack is circulated are high enough.  

Indeed, according to a 2023 ReLoop report entitled ‘Reinventing Glass’, reusable glass bottles produce 85% fewer carbon emissions than their single-use counterparts, 75% fewer carbon emissions than plastic (PET), and 57% fewer carbon emissions than aluminium cans. 

Policy implications

We have seen how legislation such as the EU Packaging & Packaging Waste Directive and the Waste Framework Directive are helping the glass industry to move towards decarbonization and circularity by reinforcing key principles such as recyclability, reuse, and recycled content.  

The PPWR, in particular, is likely to have a significant impact on the glass sector, focusing as it does on reuse and recycling. Having said this, FEVE has cautioned that an over-reliance on weight as a sustainability metric can ignore other equally important factors such as recyclability or food safety. (Plastic is certainly lighter than glass, but is it infinitely recyclable, and can we be sure of its suitabiltiy for food contact applications? We of course are agnostic about materials at Packaging Europe, but these are questions that must still be asked by regulators if policy is going to have the most positive environmental impact.)  

Furthermore, this year a position paper on the future of the Emission Trading Scheme beyond 2030 was released by 15 industrial sectors, stating that: “While the EU Emission Trading Scheme (ETS) plays a central role in driving decarbonization, it must be complemented by essential enabling conditions, such as affordable low-carbon energy, massive infrastructure investments, and supportive market mechanisms. The ETS should also be reviewed to ensure enough liquidity in the market after 2030.” 

So what does the glass sector belive the policy focus should be? According to Michael, policy “should focus on three priorities: strengthening recycling infrastructure, ensuring access to affordable renewable energy, and facilitating funding for industrial-scale innovation.” 

It must also be clear, consistent and grounded in industrial realities. “Regulatory frameworks must provide long-term certainty. Unclear provisions create uncertainty that delays investment, hinders progress and undermines the competitiveness of European value chains,” comments Vanessa. 

Finally, amidst the continued push for adoption of deposit return schemes (DRS) across Europe, FEVE is of the opinion that, while these are suited to plastic, they are not the right solution for glass. After all, in Europe, according to Close the Glass Loop, nearly 8 out of 10 glass bottles are already collected for recycling – the majority of these through extended producer responsibility (EPR) systems. 

Conclusion

To summarize, achieving Net Zero in the glass industry requires a focus on multiple enabling conditions – there is no one single ‘silver bullet’. As we have seen, these encompass:  

• Consumer education and awareness, to support an efficient and high-quality recycling process, which is essential to reducing emissions across the value chain.

• Significant investment in clean energy, furnace innovation, and high-quality cullet supply. 

• National and EU-level incentives for technological investments in decarbonization, creating a ‘virtuous cycle’ that rewards companies committed to sustainable innovation while discouraging inaction. 

• Long-term regulatory certainty, which is critical for businesses to make forward-looking and high-impact investment decisions. 

When asked how he views the outlook for the future, Michael points out that “Current political uncertainty in sustainability regulations, difficult political and macro-economic contexts are challenging for the whole FMCG industry, and the scale of the technological investments required make the path to Net Zero particularly difficult.  

“Nonetheless, we remain optimistic. Our industry is on the frontline and acting concretely to continue to meet customers demands in the best way possible. The sector has shown strong commitment and progress, but achieving the targets will depend on stable policy frameworks, adequate public support, and collaboration across the value chain.”  

These topics will be discussed further in a dedicated session at the 2025 Sustainable Packaging Summit, taking place in Utrecht from 10-12 November. 

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