Gerresheimer plans to use the latest technology for greater sustainability in glass production
At the Lohr site, Gerresheimer produces over a billion glass containers for the pharmaceutical and food industries every year. With the use of sustainable tub technology and green energy for glass melting, the company wants to significantly reduce its CO2 emissions.
With modern and sustainable glass production technology, the Gerresheimer locations in Germany set exemplary standards for all of the company’s plants in Europe, America and Asia, especially when it comes to innovations for more sustainability. The Gerresheimer plant in Lohr is planning to use hybrid technology in 2022 to build a glass melting tank for white glass that will save significantly more CO2 than conventional technology. The company has submitted an application for funding to the Federal Environment Ministry for this groundbreaking, innovative project.
“This pioneering technology project serves to strengthen Germany as an industrial and glass location. With this innovative technology, we will set new standards in terms of sustainability and the avoidance of emissions, ”said Andreas Kohl, who, as Global Senior Vice President Operations, is responsible for global container glass production and its technical development at the Gerresheimer Group.
At the Lohr location, Gerresheimer produces more than a billion glass containers a year for the pharmaceutical and food industries with two melting tanks for clear and amber glass. “With the use of this sustainable tub technology in connection with green energy for the glass melt, we will significantly reduce the CO2 emissions of production by around 25,000 tons a year,” says Jörg Buchmayer, Head of Production and Technology, who is responsible for the project. We rely on hybrid technology, which makes it possible to cover half of the required melting energy in the furnace with green electricity and the other half with natural gas.
Glass can be recycled an infinite number of times. However, high temperatures are required for the glass melt. That costs energy and generates corresponding CO2 emissions. The Gerresheimer Group has been working for over a decade to ensure that the sustainable production of its glass containers for the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries does not consume more energy than is absolutely necessary.
Gerresheimer also produces glass containers for numerous well-known branded products in the pharmaceutical and cosmetics world at its German locations in Essen and Tettau. As part of its global sustainability strategy, Gerresheimer has set itself the goal of reducing its CO2 emissions by 50% by 2030 compared to 2019. The resource-saving production of glass plays a decisive role here. The innovative technology planned for the Lohr plant is groundbreaking in this respect.
For more information, please visit:
www.gerresheimer.com/nachhaltigkeit/gxpure/co2-emissions
UIP Environment Innovations Program of the Federal Environment Ministry
