Seattle maker of wine bottles modernizes, increases use of recycled glass

On the "hot end" of the Verallia plant, the glass making remains an industrial process. In this subdivision of towering steel furnaces, brick and oppressive heat, raw materials are mixed, melted and dripped in glowing globs into metal molds.

On the "cold end," however, a new system of conveyor belts on blue frames carries cooled and coated wine bottles through a state-of-the-art packaging apparatus.

Verallia, owned by Saint-Gobain in Paris, has invested $20 million over 18 months to modernize its South Seattle plant, which has been making glass containers for regional customers since before the end of Prohibition.

The plant spits out approximately 1 million bottles a day — 90 percent of them wine bottles going to Washington, Oregon and British Columbia wineries.

"Verallia's new production line represents how they have been able to grow and adapt to the changing needs of their customers," said Steven Sudol, senior manager of strategic sourcing for Ste. Michelle Wine Estates in Woodinville. "It is crucial for us to be on the leading edge of packaging technology."

Northwestern Glass founded the plant in 1931. Over the years, it has had many different owners and produced many different types of glass food and beverage containers.

Wine bottles have been manufactured here more than 30 years, and Saint-Gobain has owned and operated the plant the last 15.

"We are the major supplier up here for glass bottles for the wine industry," said Doug Coburn, Verallia's Seattle plant manager.

The new mechanized package system was one focus in Verallia's efforts to modernize the plant, the other being improving the plant's sustainability.

A new partnership has doubled the use of cullet, or crushed recycled glass. eCullet, which moved onto the site in early 2009, processes recycled glass from the Seattle area and Canada, breaking and sorting the glass into small hills of green, brown and clear shards. The cullet is hauled to Verallia's plant next door and mixed with the raw materials of sand, soda ash and limestone.

eCullet has hired 26 employees since the facility opened, said plant manager John Davenport. Those new jobs helped offset the job losses at Verallia, which since last year has let go 36 hourly workers, or 9 percent of its employees, as a result of its plant upgrades.

Currently, 48 percent of the bottles produced at the plant are made from cullet; the goal is 50 percent by the end of the year.

Glass recycling has clear benefits, said Joseph Grewe, CEO of Verallia North America.

"For every bottle that we recycle, the energy saved could light a 60-watt light bulb for four hours ... and for every 6 tons we use, we reduce CO2 emissions by a ton," Grewe said.

The project also improved energy efficiency by installing new air compressors with the help of grants from Seattle City Light. That's expected to save 2.4 million kilowatt hours per year.

Ste. Michelle's Sudol thinks Verallia's efforts are important to the state's expanding wine industry.

"Our customers and our communities care about sustainability, and we're responding by integrating it into our supply chain," Sudol said. "As [Ste. Michelle] grows, it is crucial that we partner with suppliers that share our commitment to quality, efficiency and responsibility."

Since 2005, the number of wineries in Washington has doubled to 700 despite the recession, and Washington's total production of wine is exceeded only by California's, according to Ryan Pennington, senior communications manager for the Washington Wine Commission.

That gives Saint-Gobain's Verallia plant plenty of opportunity.

"Production [of wine] in the region is increasing; a lot of bright companies in the area are producing great wines," said Saint-Gobain CEO Jerome Fessard. "We are keen on serving those people."