Spirits giant uses hydrogen power for commercial production of bottles
SPIRITS giant Bacardí has claimed to have completed the world’s first commercial production of glass spirits bottles fuelled by hydrogen.
Working with the Slavic premium glassmaker firm Hrastnik1860, Bacardí has pioneered new technology that powered a glass furnace with hydrogen as its primary energy source, helping to cut greenhouse gas emissions in the process.
The trial used the firm’s St Germain elderflower liqueur bottle and Bacardí said the glass bottles made using this process remain identical in appearance to the ones produced using traditional glass-making methods.
Bacardí’s trial produced 150,000 bottles for the brand, with hydrogen gas contributing more than 60% of the fuel for the glass furnace.
Rodolfo Nervi, VP, safety, quality and sustainability at Bacardí, said: “Piloting this lower carbon glass production is another example of Bacardí leading the industry in environmental best practice.
“We will take the learnings from the trial to help shape a pathway to hydrogen-fuelled glass production and create a blueprint for others to follow.
“It’s only through making change as an industry that we can bring significant change to our impact on the environment.”
Meanwhile, industry organisation the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Task Force has announced a new framework to help finance more regenerative agriculture.
Made up of giants in their respective industries including Mars, McCain Foods, McDonald’s and Lloyds Banking Group, the task force has unveiled the ‘new funding and sourcing models’ finance model to make regenerative farming financially viable and scalable by building on funding as well as suggested government policy changes.
The force is set to explore implementation of this agriculture in countries across the world including the UK, the US as well as India.
Grant Reid, former chief exec of Mars Inc and chair of the Sustainable Markets Initiative’s Agribusiness Task Force, said: “Taking farming back to its roots through regenerative practices isn’t a choice; it’s one of the only ways we can guarantee farming and global food supply chains can survive for generations to come.
“That’s why our plan, proving that regenerative farming could be economically viable, rewarding and scalable, could be transformational to the world.
“But we need to prove it, which is why we’re eagerly putting into practice our theory by launching implementation projects across the world.”
