The Federal Environment Ministry of Germany has announced that it is funding a project that supports sustainable glass production in Bavaria with around €9.9 million.
In order to make glass production sustainable and climate-friendly, the government body is supporting Gerresheimer AG at the Lohr am Main location with the application of a new process for the production of high-quality primary packaging made of glass for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry.
This means that the annual CO2 emissions caused can be reduced by around 22,000 tons per year. In addition, the optimisation of the production process enables savings of 5,000 tons of raw material per year. The funds for this come from the environmental innovation programme of the BMUV.
The manufacture of glass containers for the pharmaceutical and cosmetics industry requires compliance with high quality standards for the glass as well as offering a wide range of products. For this purpose, large amounts of energy and raw materials are usually used.
With the planned project, as part of its ambitious global sustainability strategy , the company will invest in a melting tank that can be operated with a significantly higher proportion of electricity than conventional melting tanks. For this purpose, electricity is obtained from renewable energies. At the same time, the company will equip its production process with an innovative control system.
This holistic project for glass production provides important impulses for climate-friendly and sustainable glass production. It is a model for the entire glass industry, according to the Ministry.
“The environmental innovation programme promotes the first-time, large-scale application of an innovative technology. The project must go beyond the state of the art and should have the character of a demonstration,” a source disclosed.
