Verallia inaugurates its first hybrid furnace in Zaragoza, Spain, as a strategic milestone towards a more innovative and sustainable glass production model
Verallia, Europe’s leading and the world’s third largest producer of glass packaging, is inaugurating its first hybrid furnace at its Zaragoza site in Spain. This new facility marks a significant milestone in the Group’s decarbonisation strategy and will reduce CO₂ (scope 1 and 2) emissions by around 50%, with potential to reach 60% depending on the energy mix.
In response to the climate emergency, Verallia has been committed for several years to decarbonising its operations. Supported by a clear and robust CSR roadmap – now reinforced by the SBTi’s1 validation of its Net Zero 2040 trajectory – the Group aims to reduce its CO₂ emissions (scopes 1 and 2) by 46.2% by 2030 compared with 2019, and by 90% by 2040. Verallia is the first global producer of glass packaging for beverages and food products to commit to this trajectory for 2040.
In this context, the Group is deploying a diversified portfolio of low‑carbon melting technologies across its network of plants. These include 100% electric furnaces (Cognac, France), traditional super‑boosted furnaces (Chalon‑sur‑Saône, France), and oxy‑fuel furnaces (Campo Bom, Brazil, and Pescia, Italy), as well as the Group’s new hybrid furnaces (Zaragoza, Spain, with a second planned for Saint‑Romain‑le‑Puy, France).
Those pilot projects allow Verallia engineering teams to develop their innovative technologies, ensuring their optimization in terms of costs and efficiency, but also the skills and the knowledge required to operate and maintain those furnaces. As such, those projects prepare the deployment across the Group of decarbonated furnaces in the coming years.
The Zaragoza hybrid furnace project, launched in 2022 and developed with Sorg for a total investment of €63 million, marks a new stage in this transformation.
A TECHNOLOGICAL INNOVATION DELIVERING EFFICIENCY AND ENVIRONMENTAL PERFORMANCE
The hybrid furnace combines 70% renewable electricity with 30% natural gas or biofuel, enabling a significant reduction in environmental impact while ensuring production reliability and industrial flexibility.
With three production lines, the furnace offers a high degree of operational agility and can produce different glass colours. At full capacity, the Zaragoza site – which operates two furnaces – will increase its production to 1.3 million containers per day, reinforcing its role as a reference site on the Iberian Peninsula.
Patrice Lucas, Chief Executive Officer of the Verallia Group, said: “The commissioning of our first hybrid furnace in Zaragoza represents a significant step in the decarbonisation of our processes, notably through the progressive electrification of glass melting. This milestone forms part of Verallia’s broader commitment to the decarbonisation of the glass packaging industry, through investments in technologies that prepare our entire value chain for more sustainable production models.”
AN INVESTMENT SERVING THE REGION AND ITS CUSTOMERS
Beyond its environmental benefits, the hybrid furnace strengthens Verallia’s ability to support the strong and sustained growth of the Spanish market, one of the most dynamic in Europe. Its enhanced flexibility will enable the site to meet the diverse needs of wine, spirits and beverage producers, who increasingly expect lower‑carbon solutions and resilient supply chains.
By combining additional capacity, improved agility and a more sustainable energy mix, Zaragoza becomes an even more strategic partner for both local and international brands.
Paulo Pinto, General Manager of Verallia Iberia, highlights: “This new hybrid furnace represents a major step forward for our operations in Spain, turning the Zaragoza plant into a relevant example of industrial electrification applied to the glass sector. It will enable us to support our customers with greater capacity, more flexibility and solutions with a lower carbon footprint. This investment reflects our commitment to the Iberian region and our determination to offer more sustainable production while maintaining the quality and service standards that make Verallia a trusted partner in Spain.”
THE ZARAGOZA SITE
Located in Cuarte de Huerva, the Zaragoza plant is one of Verallia’s seven production centres in Iberia and plays a key role in the Group’s industrial footprint. In addition to the commissioning of the hybrid furnace, the site has undergone a major upgrade of its electrical infrastructure and the installation of a dedicated oxygen production unit to support the hybrid melting process.
The Zaragoza plant employs more than 200 people, and the investment carried out on the site has been recognised by the Government of Aragon as a project of regional interest, highlighting its economic and industrial importance for the region.
These developments reinforce Zaragoza’s position as a benchmark plant on the Iberian Peninsula for hybrid and electrified technologies and strengthen the strategic role of the Aragon region within Verallia’s operations.