ARDAGH Group has revealed that its latest collaboration with Absolut Vodka will enable the spirits brand to become the first to move to a partly hydrogen energy-fired glass furnace for large-scale production.
The move has been described as a ‘significant step’ to reduce CO2 emissions from making bottles.
Ardagh Glass Packaging in Limmared, a subsidiary of Ardagh Group, has signed an agreement with Absolut Vodka, to use this partly hydrogen-fired furnace starting in the second half of 2023.
Ardagh’s Limmared glass production facility in Sweden has been a partner with Absolut for 40 years and currently uses a combination of natural gas and electricity to power its furnaces. Ardagh will launch a pilot, replacing 20% of its natural gas with green hydrogen to manufacture all of Absolut’s bottles across its portfolio.
The hydrogen will be produced onsite at Ardagh by using renewably sourced electricity.
Bo Nilsson, MD of Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, said, “Our industry needs to be less reliant on fossil fuels and transition at pace to using more green energy. By investing in this new technology, we are embarking on a journey to reduce the carbon footprint of our glass packaging.
“There are challenges with such innovation, but we are committed to being an early mover in future-proofing our glass manufacturing operations world-wide.”
Stéphanie Durroux, chief executive of The Absolut Company, added, “Given we’ve been investing in our own production for decades, decreasing our emissions and increasing energy efficiency, we’re now in a position where we also can focus on the parts of our value chain that are outside of our own scope. The glass manufacturing industry is in a transformative journey, and the world can’t wait for the perfect solution.
“A bold and innovative approach is needed to accelerate radical change that will help solve the significant sustainability challenges that all glassmakers and buyers of glass face.”
