Masterclass in glass manufacturing

• Combined measures, including a new furnace, greater use of recycled material and lightweight glass, deliver results
• For every 10 % of recycled glass used, 3 % of the energy and 7 % of the CO2 emissions are saved

Vetropack produces glass packaging in Austria. The company supplies customers in the food and beverages industry with glass packaging that fulfils even the most stringent of requirements. Products include bottles and jars for beer, wine, spirits, soft drinks and mineral water, fruit juices, preserves and dry preserves, spreads, meat and fish, vinegar and oil, sauces, baby food and dairy goods.

Making glass is an energy-intensive process that requires high temperatures typically generated using gas. Inside the furnace, the mixture of used glass and primary raw materials is heated to about 1600° C. The challenge for Vetropack is to be energy efficient and lower emissions using the newest technology and furnace.

A new flint glass furnace at its Czech plant, and a new coloured glass furnace with improved energy efficiency at the Austrian Vetropack plant, were installed. Switching to lightweight glass technology reduces the weight of glass packaging while retaining all the other benefits of glass. Lightweight glass is 100 % recyclable with no loss of quality. Clear and brown glass can be produced from up to 60 % recycled glass, while new green glass can be made from as much as 100 % recycled material.

Key benefits

New furnaces at Vetropack benefit the environment thanks to their energy efficiency. The latest generation of machines preheat the mixture of raw materials, so require less energy for the melting itself. Lighter weight glass is also good for the environment: less raw materials, reduced energy and material consumption, lower transport costs, lower CO2 emissions.

Melting down used glass needs less energy than melting primary raw materials. The higher the proportion of used glass, the greater the energy savings: for every 10 % of recycled glass that is used, 3 % of the energy and 7 % of the CO2 emissions are saved.