At BrauBeviale, glass packaging manufacturer Vetropack shows how an idea has been turned into a practical and environmentally friendly solution. The company is working on a reusable pool system in Austria together with other stakeholders. The 0.33 litre bottles designed for this purpose are robust and durable thanks to Vetropack's Echovai technology - and still as light as a disposable bottle.
The focus is on Echovai, the lightweight glass technology developed by the Swiss company itself. Ina Graggaber, Sales Director Vetropack Austria, believes that this has what it takes to revolutionise the beverage industry: „Glass bottles are the best packaging from a health perspective anyway. They are Gas-tight, odourless and tasteless and do not interact with other materials. They are also 100 per cent recyclable.“ Only weight and resistance were previously considered weak points, especially in reusable systems.
„With our Echovai reusable bottles, we have improved precisely these aspects - they have been proven to be significantly more robust than standard bottles and are also a third lighter. This allows us to achieve up to 20 per cent more rotations per bottle and save weight during transport. In other words, we save raw materials and double CO2 emissions - perfect for reusable bottles in particular.“
Ina Graggaber, Sales Director Vetropack Austria
In Austria, Vetropack utilises these qualities, to contribute to the fulfilment of the mandatory reusable quota from 2024. Vetropack has developed a new 0.33 litre returnable bottle made of Echovai lightweight glass together with relevant stakeholders such as the Brau Union, the logistics association Mehrweg, the Association of Breweries and their members, which will be made available to the entire local brewing industry in the form of a pool solution. Pool solutions for returnable glass are already considered to be extremely environmentally friendly, as the universal usability of the standardised bottles reduces logistics costs and shortens transport routes. The low weight and long service life of Echovai returnable bottles further improves the eco-balance of the system.
Sustainability precisely calculated
Visitors to the BrauBeviale can at the Vetropack stand about the comprehensive service portfolio of the company. For example, Vetropack supports customers who want to analyse their production for potential problems in a targeted manner, with a special sensor solution. Embedded in a customised replica that exactly matches the customer's bottle or jar, a sensor measures the forces and loads acting on the container during transport or on the filling line with the utmost precision. Based on the data collected customers have the opportunity to optimise their systems in a targeted manner and without unnecessary effort and costs. The Swiss glass manufacturer also designs customised glass packaging on request. The designs are visualised even before they go into series production thanks to 3D-printed prototypes from the in-house laboratory. „The look and feel of the planned bottles or jars become much clearer - this makes it easier for our customers to decide on the best possible design,“ explains Ina Graggaber.
Vetropack offers customers In addition, comprehensive life cycle assessment calculations that map the entire life cycle of glass packaging and go beyond the glass itself. To achieve this, Vetropack not only works with real-time data from its own plants. The entire value chain is analysed: Primary and secondary materials, closures, labels, transport packaging and finally filling and transport. The resulting balance provides information about the carbon footprint of a packaging - and about optimisation potential. In this way, Vetropack supports customers in achieving their sustainability goals. „This service is increasingly in demand internationally. And we are proud to contribute to reducing the environmental impact of glass production with technical innovations such as Echovai and methods such as life cycle assessment,“ concludes Graggaber.
Vetropack at BrauBeviale: Hall 4A, Stand 319
Source: Vetropack
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