Forging a Net Zero Future for Glass Packaging

Our primary goal is to achieve a climate-neutral glass packaging circular economy by 2050. This means reinventing how glass is produced to significantly reduce carbon intensity across the entire lifecycle. This transformation is also about safeguarding our industry’s long-term competitiveness. Today, 90% of container glass tonnage in Europe is produced by companies committed to the Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi), and we are accelerating investment in low-carbon technologies to meet our 2050 ambition.

By tackling the two main sources of emissions in glass manufacturing: energy combustion (80%) and raw material processing (20%). Our strategy focuses on transitioning to low-carbon energy sources like renewable electricity and green hydrogen, while deploying next-generation hybrid and electric furnaces. At the same time, we are maximizing the use of recycled glass (cullet), which dramatically reduces both energy demand and process emissions, making circularity a cornerstone of our decarbonisation pathway.

Our 2025 and 2024 industry-wide decarbonisation reports outline key projects underway, and what’s needed to accelerate progress. Explore our interactive map featuring decarbonisation projects across Europe for more examples! 

“Furnaces of the Future” are state-of-the-art technologies designed to run on low-carbon energy instead of natural gas. Because furnaces have a long lifespan of 10-15 years, these are critical long-term investments. Across Europe, our members are already investing in and launching a range of breakthrough solutions, including:

• All-electric melting furnaces
• Hybrid furnaces that blend renewable electricity with other fuels
• Hydrogen-ready furnaces
• Advanced carbon capture solutions

The biggest challenge is securing a reliable and affordable supply of low-carbon energy. The transition from natural gas requires:

• A massive increase in renewable electricity capacity.
• The development of green hydrogen infrastructure to deliver it to glass plants.
• Significant grid reinforcement to handle the increased load.

These investments involve higher upfront costs than conventional technologies. Therefore, supportive policies, streamlined permitting, and financial support are crucial to accelerate the transition while keeping the European industry competitive globally.

“Closing the glass loop” means ensuring every glass bottle and jar is collected, recycled, and remelted to produce new containers, creating a true bottle-to-bottle circular system. The Close the Glass Loop initiative unites the entire value chain — from manufacturers to brands and consumers — with the goal of achieving a 90% glass collection rate in Europe by 2030. By increasing the availability of high-quality recycled glass, we can replace more virgin raw materials, reduce energy use, and advance our circular economy ambitions.

Sustainable packaging starts before the furnace, through initiatives like:

• Maximising Recycled Content: The average glass container in Europe already contains 53.55% recycled content, and some are made from 100%. Our main goal is to increase the collection of high-quality cullet to push this even further.
• Innovating with Alternative Raw Materials: We are pioneering the use of secondary materials to further reduce our reliance on virgin resources. For example, glass sand, created by processing by-products from the recycling stream, is now being used as a complementary raw material in our furnaces.
• Lightweighting: We are continuously innovating to reduce the weight of glass containers without compromising their strength, performance, or premium feel. This minimises raw material use and reduces transport emissions.

National roadmaps provide industry, policymakers, and investors with a clear, long-term vision of the specific technologies, infrastructure, and policy support required in each country. Because furnaces have a lifespan of 10-15 years, these roadmaps are essential for helping manufacturers make major investment decisions with confidence. They create a shared understanding of the path forward and help build the business case for transitioning to low-carbon solutions.

Detailed roadmaps have already been developed in key markets, including:

• Germany: The BV Glas ‘Glas 2045’ roadmap targets the replacement of natural gas, with estimated investments of €3.2 billion for electrification and €4.9 billion for hybrid technology in the container glass sector. 
• Italy: Assovetro’s roadmap outlines seven key strategies for decarbonisation, including the use of green fuels like hydrogen, furnace electrification, enhanced energy efficiency, and increased use of recycled glass.
• France: The Fédération des Industries du Verre roadmap and Sectoral Transition Plan (PTS) outline measures for electrification and enhanced recycling. 
• Portugal: The ‘RODIV2050’ roadmap  is a reference guide of solutions and transformation pathways for Portugal’s glass industry. 
• United Kingdom: The British Glass  Net Zero strategy 2050  and its 2024 Progress Update review progress on the switch from natural gas to electricity and hydrogen, highlighting the need for grid reinforcement. 

Consumers across Europe can play a crucial role by properly sorting their used bottles and jars. High-quality, colour-separated recycled glass (cullet) is needed to ensure it can be efficiently remelted back into new containers. Effective local infrastructure, like bottle banks and kerbside systems, is essential. Our industry has helped build this network for over fifty years, and drives awareness campaigns across 14 markets through Friends of Glass.

Successful bottle-to-bottle recycling depends on two key factors: high collection rates and high-quality material. This requires collaboration across the entire value chain. Today, over 75% of glass collected in the EU is reprocessed back into new bottles and jars. This demonstrates how local action by households and communities directly powers a truly circular European glass economy – so every bottle really does count!