Ohio glass company launches lower-carbon wine bottle in France
O-I Glass has launched a lightweight glass wine bottle with lower-carbon packaging in the French market. The bottle is part of the Ohio-headquartered company’s goal of reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030.
Estampe weights about 390 grams, or 0.8 pounds, and emits 25% less carbon emissions than conventional 500-gram (1.1-pound) wine bottles, according to a news release. Estampe also contains up to 80% recycled content, more than the current European average of 50%.
Days after that news, on Feb. 20, O-I Glass announced a nearly $120 million investment in two of its French glass packaging production facilities.
Estample has met Carbon Trust criteria for low-carbon packaging, according to the release. Its residual footprint will be offset by the purchase of carbon credits to support projects including orchard planning in France and reforestation projects in Brazil.
“Our customers and consumers alike continue to seek sustainable packaging solutions,” Arnaud Aujouannet, O-I chief sales and marketing officer, said in the release. “The addition of a lower carbon lightweight bottle that’s validated by the Carbon Trust demonstrates how we’re innovating to create brand-building, iconic, sustainable solutions.
“O-I has been innovating glass bottles for more than a century, and as the demand for lightweight, lower impact packaging rises, we’re focused on transforming our processes and technology to meet that need without compromising on design.”
The new investments will upgrade the sustainability, flexibility and productivity of the company’s operations in Gironcourt-sur-Vraine and Reims, according to a news release.
In Gironcourt, where the plant recently marked its 120th anniversary, $69 million will be used to rebuild a furnace and equip it with GOAT technology (Gas Oxy Advanced Technology). The technology, already successfully implemented last year at the O-I plant in Vayres, uses a mix of gas and oxygen to heat the furnace. In combination with a newly installed heat recovery system to pre-heat raw materials and recycled glass, the new installation is expected to reduce CO2 emissions by up to 18%.
In Reims, O-I completed $50 million in upgrades, including the renovation of a furnace and a production line as well as the installation of new equipment, resulting in an overall energy reduction of about 5%.
