Absolut Vodka and Ardagh Group co-invest in hydrogen-fired glass furnace in a global spirits industry first

Absolut Vodka is to become the first global spirits brand to move to a partly hydrogen energy-fired glass furnace for large-scale production in a significant step to reduce the CO2 emissions from making its iconic bottles. The hydrogen initiative is an important milestone for Absolut Vodka in becoming completely CO2 neutral by 2030. A prerequisite for being able to meet this goal is in reducing the carbon footprint of its glass packaging.

Absolut has signed an agreement with Ardagh Glass Packaging in Limmared, a subsidiary of Ardagh Group, to use this partly hydrogen-fired furnace (20% green gas) commencing in the second half of 2023. This means a full-scale change of the continuous production of Absolut bottles for all markets globally. The hydrogen will be produced onsite at Ardagh by using renewably sourced electricity and would reduce Absolut Vodka’s carbon footprint from glass by 20%. 

Stéphanie Durroux, Chief Executive Officer of The Absolut Company, says: "The glass manufacturing industry is on a transformative journey, and the world can’t wait for the perfect solution. A bold and innovative approach is needed to accelerate radical change that will help solve the significant sustainability challenges that all glassmakers and buyers of glass face."

Bo Nilsson, Managing Director of Ardagh Glass Limmared AB, added: “Our industry needs to be less reliant on fossil fuels and transition at pace to using more green energy. By investing in this new technology, we are embarking on a journey to reduce the carbon footprint of our glass packaging. There are challenges with such innovation, but we are committed to being an early mover in future-proofing our glass manufacturing operations world-wide." 

In addition to the Absolut Vodka and Ardagh Group partnership, the Group is pleased to announce that it is becoming a member of Glass Futures, a not-for-profit research and technology organisation connecting the industry and academia to build a Global Centre of Excellence for glass to create sustainable, low carbon bottles.

Richard Katz, Chief Executive Officer of Glass Futures said: “At Glass Futures we bring together global supply chains, with common problems, to enable a revolutionary change in glass manufacture to decarbonise both the glass and foundation industries. We’re delighted that Pernod Ricard, a global wine and spirits company committed to being sustainable and responsible, has joined our membership. We hope the trials into new low carbon fuels and technologies will drive innovations in the glass supply chain and support our members on their journey to net zero.”

Together with glass producer Encirc and Glass Futures, Irish Distillers, owner of Jameson Irish Whiskey and a Pernod Ricard affiliate, was part of a ground-breaking trial in 2020 which leveraged the use of biofuels to produce more than 3 million glass bottles for Jameson from 100% recycled glass, resulting in a reduced carbon footprint of up to 90%. 

Vanessa Wright, Chief Sustainability Officer at Pernod Ricard said: “These exciting partnerships, which we are delighted to unveil in the lead up to the COP27, are key to accelerating our sustainability journey. True to our vision ‘Créateurs de convivialité’, we strongly believe in working with others to strengthen what we do collectively and drive innovation for a greener future, in line with our 2030 Sustainability & Responsibility roadmap ‘Good Times from a Good Place’”. 
 

About The Absolut Company 
The Absolut Company has the worldwide responsibility for the production, packaging innovation and strategic marketing of Absolut Vodka, Malibu and Kahlúa.
Absolut Vodka is one of the world’s top ten international spirits brands. Every bottle of Absolut Vodka comes from one source, Åhus in southern Sweden.
Malibu is the number one rum-based coconut spirit in the world. Kahlúa coffee liqueur is the world leader in its category. The Absolut Company portfolio also includes Åhus Akvavit. The visitor center, Absolut Home, located next to the main production site for Absolut Vodka, was opened in 2018. The head office is located in Stockholm, Sweden. Chairman and CEO is Stéphanie Durroux. The Absolut Company is a part of Pernod Ricard, the world’s second-largest wine and spirits producer (source: IWSR).

About Ardagh Sweden
Ardagh Glass Limmared AB is part of the Ardagh Group, a global supplier of sustainable, infinitely recyclable, metal and glass packaging for brand owners around the world. Ardagh operates 65 metal and glass production facilities in 16 countries, employing 20,000 people with sales of approximately $10bn.

About Glass Futures
A not-for-profit membership organisation, Glass Futures connects the global glass industry and academia to deliver R&D and innovation, ensuring glass making’s future is built on high value and fully sustainable, zero-carbon products.
Glass Futures in collaboration with the global glass industry is delivering the world’s first openly accessible, commercially available, multi-disciplinary glass melting facility, The Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens, UK with provision for research and development trials to decarbonise the global glass and foundation industries. 
The 165,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art facility will be capable of producing up to 30 tonnes of glass per day in a purposefully designed research and development furnace. Members, researchers, and industry leaders will collaborate and experiment with different energy sources, raw materials, and technologies to demonstrate solutions leading to sustainable energy usage in the glass-making process.