A Glass Act

It’s been a busy year for Encirc. With ambitious plans to lead the decarbonisation of container glass, Encirc’s plant in County Fermanagh is playing a global role in shaping the future of sustainable packaging. Ambition caught up with Managing Director Adrian Curry to learn more.

One thing we have always excelled at here at Encirc is being a disrupter. From our entry into the container glass industry in 1998 to the innovations we have since led, we are very much known as game-changers in our sector. That ethos is now being applied to sustainability.

Like all packaging materials, glass is very much at a crossroads. It is a fantastic, infinitely recyclable and natural material. But we know the industry needs to decarbonise to secure its future. At Encirc, we firmly believe in leading that change.

Sustainability is not as simple as just focusing on reducing our carbon footprint. We need to look at the bigger picture. We also want to create the world’s most ethically responsible containers, which means working within our four core pillars: people, place, planet and prosperity. Sustainability is the connection of the four pillars, which together form our Glass Made Good strategy.

For the past twenty years, our business has focused on both economic and environmental sustainability and our planet-first operations have been key to our growth. In order to be truly successful as a business and to create a great future for our people, our customers, stakeholders and the communities we call home must all benefit from our prosperity. Our success as a business can only truly be measured by our impact on those around us.

Looking at how we can decarbonise the way that glass is melted is at the very core of our plans, as that is the most carbon-intensive element of what we do.

Encirc’s Managing Director, Adrian Curry.

In 2019, we reengineered the last remaining heavy fuel oil furnace in our business, at our Derrylin plant, switching it to gas. Heavy fuel oil is more polluting, so the switch to gas was one we were keen to make. However, we knew we could do more and that this was just the first step on our path to becoming a Net Zero container glass industry.

This year our Derrylin plant demonstrated to the world what was possible. We created the world’s most sustainable bottles in a biofuel trial held at the plant in January 2021. The success of this trial was celebrated by all and major brands went on to sell the containers as the most sustainable ever to be created. As a result, the trial will now be a regular campaign, demonstrating that ultra-low carbon glass at scale is very possible. It has also opened up the possibility of running furnaces in the longterm using sustainable biomethane gas.

As part of the initial trial, working closely with industry research body Glass Futures, we made bottles using 100% recycled glass and energy from burning ultra-low-carbon biofuels. The biofuel that we used is a wastebased fatty acid methyl ester, better known as biodiesel. The fuel was produced from UK tallow, as this was deemed the most sustainable and ethical to use. The use of this renewable biofuel and the recycled glass reduced the carbon footprint of each bottle by up to 90%. It truly was a momentous occasion for glass.

For myself, it was fantastic recognition of the growth of our Derrylin plant and its significance in our overall business, as well as the expertise of our team as we plot a sustainable course towards a Net Zero future.

Derrylin is also playing an important role in enhancing our business USP as being the only complete beverage supply chain for container glass in the world. Many of the bottles made in the plant are transported to our sister plant in Cheshire where they are filled with wine in our onsite filling hall. The filled bottles are then sent directly onto retailers. The business model has changed the game in terms of container glass in the UK and gives brands significant sustainability savings.

The future for all major manufacturers is filled with immense challenges in this area. By placing sustainability at the heart of what it does,combined with the drive and commitment of our great people, I have no doubt that Derrylin will continue to lead our industry and set the standard for others to follow.

“For the past twenty years, our business has focused on both economic and environmental sustainability and our planet-first operations have been key to our growth. In order to be truly successful as a business and to create a great future for our people, our customers, stakeholders and the communities we call home must all benefit from our prosperity. Our success as a business can only truly be measured by our impact on those around us.”