Bringing together partners from across the foundation industries, the EnviroAsh project aims to investigate waste ashes, slags and mineral by-products as a source of secondary raw materials.

The project team, led by Glass Technology Services, consisting of partners from across the foundation industry supply chain and academia, hosted an interactive workshop to discuss opportunities for reusing waste materials, identify the barriers associated with secondary raw materials and address factors implementing application.

The event was widely attended by the colleagues from across the six foundation industries (glass, ceramics, steel, paper, cement and chemicals), as well as representatives from academia, government agencies, and the energy sector.

Verallia has confirmed an investment of €60 million to build a second furnace at the group’s Jacutinga glass container plant in Brazil.

This investment more than doubles the Minas Gerais plant production capacity, from one million bottles/day to 2.3 million from 2023, when the furnace is running at full capacity.

The expansion in focused on meeting increased local demand in the beer and alcoholic segments with amber and green bottles.

The Guardian Glass float glass plant in DeWitt, Iowa has earned the US Environmental Protection Agency’s (EPA) Energy Star certification, which signifies that the industrial plant performs in the top 25% of similar facilities nationwide for energy efficiency and meets strict energy efficiency performance levels set by the EPA.

Operating since 1996, the DeWitt plant completed a major capital project in 2017 that expanded glass production and added the latest environmental control technologies.

The plant applied for certification based on 2019 data. 

According to Alicia Duran, Research Professor CSIC and President of the ICG, plans for the promotion of United Nations International Year of Glass for 2022 are progressing well.

The aim is to underline the scientific and economic importance of glass, the unseen heart of so many technologies and a facilitator of just and sustainable societies as they face the challenges of globalisation.

A formal presentation was streamed worldwide last December via the CSIC channel on YouTube. It soon clocked up 3500 direct hits, with many more through LinkedIn and Google.

New letters of endorsement arrived, adding to the 1250 previously received from 77 countries.

Verescence, a leader in luxury glass packaging for the perfumery and cosmetics industries, has confirmed the acquisition of a majority stake in Pacificglas, the Korean leader for glass packaging in the cosmetics industries and a long-term partnership with Amorepacific.

For over 120 years, Verescence has been a partner of leading perfume and cosmetics brands due to its extensive knowhow and expertise.

The company produces 500 million bottles per year at its three glass production and four decoration sites in Europe and North America. In 2019, the company employed 2300 people worldwide and achieved sales of €309 million.

Pacificglas, a subsidiary of global cosmetics company Amorepacific, is a top level cosmetics container manufacturer established in 1973.

Gerresheimer’s recently unveiled corporate design visualises the company’s strategic focus on profitable and sustainable growth, innovation, excellence and customer focus.

The corporate design will be rolled out in the complete internal and external appearance. This is already visible on the improved corporate website www.gerresheimer.com. According to the company, the revisions convey a fresh, lively and strong look and feel to customers, applicants, shareholders and other stakeholders.

O-I ranks 52 out of 500 employers on the Forbes 2021 top employers list. The list was determined by an anonymous survey of 50,000 North Americans who worked for businesses with at least 1000 employees.

The respondents were asked to rate how likely they would be to recommend their employers to others.

“We have a rich history of expertise with a strong heritage” says Kate Murawa, O-I Vice President of Talent, Learning and Culture. “Our employees tell us there is passion, dedication, teamwork and a sense of family at O-I.”

According to Michel Giannuzzi, Chairman and CEO of Verallia, the group has shown significant resilience to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic, showing a slight decrease in revenue of ‐1.9%, growth in adjusted EBITDA to €626 million (+1.7%) and in the adjusted EBITDA margin to 24.7% (+88 bps).

UNESDA Soft Drinks Europe has pledged that EU beverage packaging will be fully circular by 2030.

Launching its Circular Packaging Vision 2030, the industry commits that by 2025 its packaging will be 100% recyclable and its PET bottles using 50% recycled content.

It ambitions that by 2030, its PET bottles will be made from 100% recycled and/or renewable PET, where technically and economically feasible.

It also pledges that more than 90% of its packaging will be collected and that it will use more refillable packaging.

These actions are directly contributing to the EU circular economy transition and surpassing EU targets set out in legislation. 

www.unesda.eu