Ardagh Glass Packaging-Europe (AGP-Europe), a division of Ardagh Group, has initiated the production of green hydrogen for glass melting at its Limmared facility in Sweden, contributing to sustainable glass packaging production.

The company has implemented a 5MW proton exchange membrane (PEM) hydrogen electrolyser, which utilises renewable electricity to generate hydrogen for the company's furnace energy mix.

Since the commencement of the electrolyser's testing in October this year, the Limmared facility has seen environmental benefits.

The furnace has since used 109,000m³ of on-site produced hydrogen, resulting in a reduction of 70 tonnes (t) of carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions.

AGP-Europe project manager Daniel Johansson said: “The testing phase using the hydrogen energy mix is progressing well, with no impact on the quality of the glass or the furnace. Our target is to replace 20% of the natural gas in the furnace with green hydrogen, which will reduce carbon emissions from our glass packaging produced in Limmared.”

This development is a part of AGP-Europe's broader strategy to incorporate cleaner energy sources into its manufacturing processes.

The introduction of this partly hydrogen-fired glass furnace is a follow-up to AGP-Europe's launch of the NextGen Furnace in Obernkirchen, Germany.

The Obernkirchen facility has achieved 60% electrical heating, leading to a 64% reduction in CO₂ emissions.

AGP-Europe CEO Martin Petersson said: “Replacing a proportion of the natural gas with green hydrogen in the furnace represents a step change in the way we sustainably produce glass packaging.

"The future combination of hydrogen and other sustainable technologies such as hybrid melting, will help Ardagh Group and our customers to achieve their emissions reduction targets, as well as advancing the decarbonisation of the glass industry.”