Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe), an operating business of Ardagh Group, recently welcomed a delegation from the Japan Glass Bottle Association (JGBA) to two of its European production facilities, offering valuable insights into the company’s industry-leading decarbonisation technologies.

In Limmared, Sweden, the JGBA delegation visited AGP-Europe’s innovative onsite hydrogen electrolyser. The system is designed to produce hydrogen using renewable electricity for continuous use in the glass melting furnace, proving that hydrogen can be combined with natural gas to produce lower-carbon glass containers.

The visit continued in Obernkirchen, Germany, where the visitors were given a tour of AGP-Europe’s groundbreaking NextGen Furnace. This world-first commercial-scale hybrid furnace uses renewable electricity to power 42 electrodes for direct electrical melting, to significantly reduce CO₂ emissions while maintaining high-quality glass production.

Through these visits, the JGBA gained a valuable understanding of how AGP-Europe’s hydrogen and hybrid furnace technologies are advancing the decarbonisation of glass manufacturing. The visit underscored the shared commitment of both organisations to sustainable innovation, energy efficiency, and the long-term benefits of lower-carbon glass packaging.

Joris Goossens, R&D Project Manager, AGP-Europe, said: “We were delighted to host the Japan Glass Bottle Association and share our progress in building a more sustainable future for glass packaging. These visits are essential to accelerate change and drive innovation in our industry.”

Mr Iwamoto of the JGBA added: “We were very impressed by Ardagh’s commitment to sustainable glass production. Seeing these innovations in Sweden and Germany gave us valuable insights into how innovative technologies can help to decarbonise our industry and will be extremely useful in supporting our own sustainability journey in Japan.”