As part of an initiative led by Glass Futures, Encirc trialled the use of liquid biofuel in one of its glass smelting furnaces at its Derrylin site. This produced the most sustainable glass bottles in the world. Four examples will be on display at glasstec 2024: two Diageo Black & White Scotch whisky bottles and two Heineken beer bottles. They look identical, but one bottle of each type generated 90% less CO2 during production than the other.
In another project led by Glass Futures, Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, part of the NSG Group, became the first flat glass manufacturer to fire its glass smelting furnace with 100% biofuel to trial sustainable alternatives to natural gas. One result of this cooperation can also be seen at glasstec 2024. The examples shown for container and flat glass illustrate successful ways of converting the glass sector to low-carbon fuels and thus generating a smaller carbon footprint.