Hrastnik1860, a member of the Vaider Group and one of the leading global glass manufacturers, has joined forces with Bacardi, one of the world’s leading spirits companies, to unveil the world’s first industrial campaign utilizing the hydrogen glass melting process. This ground-breaking collaboration aims to transform the glass industry by substantially decreasing its carbon emissions and propelling the shift towards a greener, more sustainable tomorrow.
The bottle, which for the purposes of the trial was the iconic ST-GERMAIN® elderflower liqueur bottle, is identical in appearance to the same bottle produced using traditional methods and will reach bars and stores in the coming weeks.
Over the course of the trial, which produced 150,000 of the brand’s 70cl glass bottles, hydrogen contributed more than 60 percent of the fuel for the glass furnace, cutting GHG emissions by more than 30 percent.
“Piloting this lower carbon glass production is another example of Bacardi leading the industry in environmental best practice,” said Rodolfo Nervi, Vice President, Safety, Quality and Sustainability for Bacardi. “We will take the learnings from the trial to help shape a pathway to hydrogen-fueled glass production and create a blueprint for others to follow. It’s only through making change as an industry that we can bring significant change to our impact on the environment.”
Peter Čas, CEO of Hrastnik1860, added, “Successfully producing lower emission, premium glass bottles at a commercial scale, with absolutely no compromise on quality, has made all the hard work worthwhile. Like Bacardi, we are committed to developing new innovations that lower emissions while maintaining premium quality. This revolutionary technology proves the two can go hand in hand and we are now taking the first steps in bringing it to market.”