Encirc

Encirc's in-house bottling facility / Source: Encirc

EuropeFood & BeverageGlassPackaging

WHAT WE SAY:

Glass manufacturer Encirc’s latest trial has proven that glass bottles can be made from 100% recycled glass using only energy from ultra-low carbon biofuels.

Let’s hope this moves from trial to scale-up very quickly, as the carbon-reduction metrics look excellent. And as carbon emissions from production are often a reason to say no to glass, it’s good to see the industry innovating with biofuels from organic waste. Imagine the impact reduction for just the four billion bottles made by Vidrala.

Glass bottle production line / Source: Encirc

ABOUT ENCIRC

Part of the Vidrala Group, Glass container manufacturer Encirc is based across three sites in England, Northern Ireland and Italy. Each year, it produces more than four billion glass containers for leading global brands.
The Vidrala Group saw sales grow by 8.2% in 2021, amounting to a value of EUR 1,094.2 million (USD 1,213.8 million).
The company has partnered with industry research and technology organisation Glass Futures to develop carbon-reducing practices. The ongoing trial has proven that new bottles can be made from 100% recycled glass, using only the energy from burning ultra-low carbon biofuels, made from organic waste materials. Encirc is also looking into the viability of hydrogen and advancements in electric melting.
Focused on moving the glass sector away from fossil fuels, the trial speculates that glass bottles made in this way will reduce the carbon footprint of each bottle by up to 90%.
If successful, the new technology has the potential to remove up to 1.2 million tonnes of CO2 emissions per year by 2030.
The initiative forms part of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Energy Innovation Programme, within which Glass Futures is leading a GBP 7.1 million (USD 9.3 million) project to determine the most effective route to low-carbon fuels for the glass sector.
Encirc won the British Glass Company of the Year award from British Glass in 2020, and the Planet Saver Award from the British Chamber Awards in 2021.
Encirc’s 360 service offers a complete beverage supply chain solution, connecting high quality container glass manufacturing and advanced filling facilities with warehousing and logistics. Customers can significantly cut transportation costs and reduce the carbon footprint of products using Encirc 360.
The company is BITC CORE accredited and ISO 14001:2015 compliant, and has been working to embed sustainable practices across its business for the last 15 years, acting under four pillars: Prosperity, People, Place Planet. The brand claims that more than 80% of its customers choose Encirc because of its sustainable offering.
Encirc’s parent company Vidrala became one of the first packagers to use the FEVE Glass Hallmark on its bottles in March 2022. The symbol has been created by the European Container Glass Federation to champion the benefits of glass and to encourage better recycling levels across the continent.