The VITRUM project has enabled Bormioli Luigi to sustainably produce premium cosmetic containers at its Abbiategrasso plant in Northern Italy.

The project uses a partially electrified furnace combined with post-consumer recycled (PCR) glass, and a more efficient forehearth conditioning system, to keep molten glass at the right temperature and consistency for shaping.

The initiative was selected under one of the first Innovation Fund* calls for small-scale projects and entered into operation in January 2025.

Implementation was not without challenges; during the construction and testing phase, the project faced a three-month delay to bubbles that caused defects in the glass.

However, the technical team resolved this issue with support from the supplier and through technical trials.

Supported by a €4.1 million grant, the plant’s scalable hybrid and digital technologies are expected to cut approximately 25,500 tonnes of CO₂ over 10 years.

This is comparable to the annual greenhouse gas emission output of roughly 15,000 EU households.

Emission reductions are achieved in several sections of the plant: 80% from furnace hybridisation, while the remainder comes from increased use of PCR glass, with a smaller contribution also coming from improved efficiency in the forehearth channels.

While the glass container industry represented 61.7% of Europe's total glass production in 2021, only 15% of facilities currently run on electricity.

VITRUM’s success highlights an opportunity for hybrid furnaces to bridge this gap.

Beyond the glass sector, these scalable technologies offer a blueprint for other energy-intensive industries striving for climate neutrality.

The Innovation Fund is 100% funded by the EU Emissions Trading System.