Vetropack make returnable bottles made of thermally tempered lightweight glass
The Echovai treated bottle impresses not only with its lower weight, but also with its resistance to abrasion, which results in higher circulation rates. Vetropack’s first pilot project with the Austrian brewery Mohrenbrauerei confirmed that their durability.
Studies have shown that reusable glass containers rank among the most sustainable and environment-friendly packaging types. Only their weight and resistance were considered weak points. With Echovai, Vetropack has now become the world's first manufacturer of glass packaging to introduce a solution that significantly improves these elements. It is a particularly robust and material-saving form of lightweight glass bottle that is up to 30% less in weight than standard returnable bottles but also more resistant to abrasion. "This makes Echovai bottles a truly superior solution, both economically and ecologically. It actually has the potential to transform the market for returnable glass containers," explained Daniel Egger, Head of Innovation at Vetropack.
The thermal treatment, which ultimately makes the glass more stable, requires early adopters to accept certain design limitations, simply because of their shape: "The biggest challenge with processing in our Echovai plant is variation in wall thickness distribution," said Mr Egger. "Only high-quality, uniform bottles can be successfully tempered because their thermal treatment builds up a stress sandwich."
The robust lightweight glass containers are produced exclusively at the plant in Pöchlarn, Austria. In phase one over the last three years, millions of bottles have been successfully sold and refilled by pilot customer Mohrenbrauerei and extensive tests have confirmed the extended life span and durability of bottles. In phase two, select new projects will show how and which other Vetropack plants will need to be made ready for Echovai production. Phase 3 will see the possibility of licensing technology and know-how to third parties to allow for a wider market introduction.
Image: Echovai by Vetropack is the world's first returnable bottle made of tempered lightweight glass.
