Industry needs to decarbonise - but at what cost?

The challenges and urgencies on the glass industry's pathway to decarbonisation were discussed at Sisecam's 39th annual conference.

Opening the second day, the fireside chat between Sisecam's Sustainability Director Gozde Morkoc, and Dr Bassam Fattouh, Director at the Oxford Institute for Energy Studies, UK, highlighted how difficult it will be for hard to abate sectors to decarbonise.

Dr Fattouh warned that while decarbonisation is a must, it will cost industrial companies financially.

They must be prepared to seek government subsidies in order to pay for the transition or pass the costs onto the supply chain and customer

Likewise, they must also ensure they retain a profit at a time when margins are thin otherwise they are at risk of going bust.

Pictured above: Steve Whettingsteel (l) and Malte Sander (r) described how a combined glass industry and scientific approach is vital if the sector is to decarbonise.

It was followed by a panel discussion from Steve Whettingsteel of Krysteline Technologies and Malte Sander of Glass Service (CZ).

They outlined how a combined industrial and scientific approach was required if the glass industry is to achieve its decarbonisation aims.

In it they challenged the plastic industry's claims about its recyclability values.

Only 9% of global plastic is recycled they said, with many of the plastic industry's marketing claims obscuring the real facts.

They suggested a combined approach from the glass sector, which includes better communications with governments, to give a more accurate picture of the whole lifecycle of glass.

Organisations such as the International Commission of Glass (ICG) should be utilised to help achieve these aims.

The event in Venice, Italy continues today with a series of technical presentations on the glass production process. Speakers include technology suppliers such as Iris Inspection, Sorg, Horn and Stara Glass as well as glass manufacturer Ardagh Glass.