Orora is proud to announce it has commenced operation of one of Australia’s most sustainable wine glass furnaces in Gawler, South Australia.
The newly rebuilt furnace is powered in part by oxyfuel technology drawn from our very own onsite oxygen plant. This exciting step moves Orora’s furnace into the top 10% of energy efficient furnaces worldwide.
The newly rebuilt furnace is powered in part by oxyfuel technology drawn from our very own onsite oxygen plant.
Orora announced its plan to build an oxygen plant onsite at its Gawler Glass facility in 2022, after being awarded a $12.5m federal government grant under the under the Modern Manufacturing Initiative – Manufacturing Translation Stream, Recycling and Clean Energy program, to accelerate development and commercialisation of low emissions technologies.
This grant recognises the significant and industry-leading work being undertaken by Orora as part of its emissions reduction program to deliver the new low carbon oxyfuel furnace technology.
Orora’s new oxyfuel furnace is expected to deliver significant sustainability benefits including a reduction in nitrogen oxides of up to 80%, CO2 reduction of approximately 20% and total furnace energy reduction of up to 25%.
Greg Savage, Senior Vice President - Asia Pacific for Orora Glass said “We’re excited to take the sustainability of Orora Glass to the next level with this new technology. By combining an increasing amount of recycled cullet from our beneficiation plant together with our oxygen-fuelled furnace, Orora Glass will deliver even more sustainable, lower carbon glass containers for our customers.”
How does oxy-fuel furnace technology save energy?
Most of the energy needed to make glass is used by the furnace to heat and melt the raw ingredients that go into making glass. Older furnace technology relies on a mix of natural gas and air to heat the furnace to melt these ingredients. Atmospheric air is made up of approximately 78% nitrogen, 21% oxygen and small amounts of various other gases. Here’s the clincher: nitrogen takes no part in the combustion process and the energy required to heat the nitrogen is lost or wasted.
Supplied by an oxygen plant, oxy-fuel furnace technology involves a mix of natural gas and oxygen, instead of air to produce heat for the furnace. Since the oxygen is almost pure, there is no nitrogen component being heated, which results in lower total energy consumption. Another benefit is that higher flame temperatures are possible with oxy fuel, which means less energy is required to reach the required temperature for melting recycled glass cullet and the other ingredients that are needed to create glass.
Our promise to the future
A central part of Orora’s sustainability strategy, our promise to the future, is adopting cutting-edge, lower energy-intensity furnace technologies. With several furnaces operating around the clock, the energy requirements are substantial. However, with this newly rebuilt oxygen-powered furnace Orora expects to cut furnace emissions by approximately 20% compared to a traditional furnace.
Orora continues to chart a sustainable path as a market leader in the adoption of renewable energy. Our Gawler Glass site uses renewable electricity sourced from wind and solar generation assets based on long-term power purchase agreements[1].
Another important focus for Orora is the production of lighter weight glass bottles. This reduces the amount of material used, which is more energy efficient, while it also lowers transportation costs, reducing emissions even further.
Orora is also working in partnership with a global consortium, International Partners in Glass Research (IPGR), to explore the development of zero-carbon bottles.
Circularity and recycling
Increasing the use of recycled glass in the manufacturing process is also critical for sustainability and is a major priority for Orora. The more cullet (crushed recycled glass) we use in the manufacture of new bottles, the less raw material is required. Using cullet requires significantly less energy than raw materials, as it melts at a lower temperature, reducing the overall environmental impact of each bottle produced.
Orora built its own glass recycling facility to increase the amount of cullet we can access and use. The plant has capacity to produce up to 150,000 tonnes of cullet per year, which equates to more than 330 million wine bottles or 750 million beer bottles.
Since establishing our own beneficiation plant, Orora achieved an average of 50% recycled content in new manufactured glass products in 2024, up from 38% in 2023. Our target is to achieve 60% recycled content next year.
Producing superior glass packaging that is sustainable remains a fundamental priority for Orora. While we’re pleased with our progress to date, we will continue to explore and develop new technologies to further increase the sustainability credentials of our packaging.
[1] To support principles of prudent financial stewardship Orora currently procures Large Scale Generation Certificates under its PPAs but does not retire them in order to claim a Scope.2 greenhouse gas emission reduction benefit.
Orora is pleased to announce our successful grant application to support the planned construction of an oxygen fuelled furnace at the Orora Glass manufacturing plant in Gawler, South Australia.
Increased recycled content in glass products set to boost circular economy. Leading sustainable packaging solutions provider Orora (ASX:ORA) today announced it has commenced operation of a new $25m glass beneficiation plant in South Australia to significantly increase the recycled content in its manufactured glass products.
Glass recycling is an important step within the manufacturing process, where used glass packaging is taken to create new glass products that help create a sustainable circular economy. Watch this video to learn more about Orora’s strategy to creating sustainable glass packaging!
