Shaping sustainability through glass

BA Glass is advancing its sustainability journey with measurable impact, from reducing carbon emissions and boosting cullet use to adopting renewable energy and low-emission transport across its operations

 
 

BA Glass continues to lead the way in sustainability, building on a long-standing commitment to reducing environmental impact. Every step taken reinforces the company’s role in driving positive changes for a greener future.

Sustainability in business is not merely a trend topic, but a critical responsibility. As global expectations for environmental and social accountability continue to rise, at BA Glass sustainability is at the core of every decision-making process. We believe that transparency is essential to building a sustainable future – much like the inherent qualities of glass itself. Guided by its core sustainability pillars – people, social accountability, environmental responsibility, shareholders, customers and consumers – BA Glass ensures a balanced and responsible approach to growth and innovation.

As part of our ongoing commitment and in alignment with Science Based Targets initiative (SBTi) goals, we have made measurable progress in reducing our carbon footprint. In 2020, BA Glass had its emissions reduction targets approved by the SBTi, committing to a 50 percent reduction in scope one and two emissions by 2035. Since then, we have made steady progress – in the past year alone, we reduced our scope one emissions by nearly two percent, placing us approximately nine percent ahead of the SBTi trajectory. These results continually strengthen our confidence in reaching our ultimate goal of carbon neutrality by 2050.

In 2024, BA Glass made significant strides in reducing its carbon footprint by enhancing the use of cullet (recycled glass) in the production process. The cullet incorporation rate increased by five percentage points compared to 2023, leading to an estimated reduction of 26,000 tons in CO2 emissions, highlighting the focus on circularity and sustainable resource management. In Romania, the introduction of Deposit-Return System (DRS) improved significantly the glass collection and the volumes of cullet available, resulting in a big increase of cullet incorporation when compared to previous years. In the future we expect to continue to increase the cullet volume, reaching a record level.

Also, in consonance with its commitment to circularity and to ensure greater availability of recycled glass, BA Glass acquired the Recresco Glass Recycling Group in 2024. This integration of Recresco’s operations into the BA Glass Group reinforces our dedication to closing the loop on glass packaging. With Recresco’s sorting and processing facilities now part of our network, BA Glass is better positioned to boost cullet recovery, enhance operational efficiency and further accelerate progress towards its decarbonisation goals.

Strong ambition for progress
Although BA Glass has increased the recycled glass incorporation, the ambition to progress further remains strong. The greatest challenge continues to be the cullet’s attainability. In this context, the Plataforma Vidro+ was created in Portugal – of which BA Glass is a member – to unite efforts between companies and citizens, playing a crucial role in promoting best practices and reinforcing cullet use in production, which resulted in the growth of memberships and related initiatives.

Beyond a continuous focus on circularity, BA Glass is committed to optimising the efficiency of its furnaces, supported by a sustained investment strategy in advanced technologies. These upgrades are essential in improving operational sustainability and reducing overall environmental impact.

A significant milestone in our sustainability efforts is the successful incorporation of biomethane at one of our production plants. By transitioning from natural gas to biomethane, BA Glass has reduced CO₂e emissions by approximately 1,500 tons. This initiative places the company at the forefront of biomethane adoption in the glass packaging industry.

Our commitment to sustainability also encompasses the design of our products. Through continuous innovation in packaging design, our ‘lightweight programme’ plays a crucial role in our environmental efforts. Last year alone, this initiative led to the production of 15 million lighter glass containers, resulting in a reduction of approximately 240 tons of CO₂ into the atmosphere.

Recognising our long-term commitment to responsible growth, all electricity consumed at BA Glass’ plants, since 2022, has been sourced entirely from renewable energy, resulting in zero scope two emissions. We remain firmly committed to this clean energy strategy and plan to increase the installed capacity of photovoltaic systems in the coming year, reinforcing our renewable energy infrastructure. Driven by our sustainability goals, at BA Glass we have made significant progress in managing returnable packaging. Despite ongoing market growth, we have maintained high pallet return levels, successfully retrieving over 3.6 million pallets, reducing material waste, and improving operational flow.

An expanding electric fleet
In line with our commitment to sustainable logistics, BA Glass continues to advance low-emission transport solutions. At the end of 2024, the first electric truck was tested in Villafranca de los Barros plant and is now operating routes to Seville, with plans to expand the electric fleet in the coming year. The use of alternative fuels – including biomethane, HVO and bio-LNG – was also extended across divisions, contributing to further CO₂ reductions in transportation. To improve efficiency on key routes, intermodal logistics were strengthened by combining road, rail, and short-sea shipping. Additionally, the adoption of duo trailers has supported fuel savings and a further decrease in emissions.

In addition to these initiatives, collaboration with our clients is essential to driving progress in sustainability. Through our Collab2Zero initiative, these partnerships have been strengthened, promoting collective action towards decarbonisation. In 2024, productive discussions with key customers led to impactful actions and significant progress in reducing environmental impact.

BA Glass’ commitment to sustainability is a continuous journey, built on a strategy that evolves with time. By integrating sustainability into every aspect of our operations, we remain focused on driving positive change that not only benefits the environment but also society as a whole.