Orora Marks One Year of operation for Oxyfuel Glass Furnace

Orora, leading manufacturer of sustainable packaging for the beverage industry, is marking the first 12 months of operation of its high efficiency G3 oxyfuel glass furnace. Located at Orora's South Australian glass manufacturing site at Gawler, the innovative furnace is delivering significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions including carbon dioxide (CO₂) and nitrogen oxide (NOₓ) emissions and reinforcing the company's long term commitment to lower emissions manufacturing.

The $130 million rebuild and upgrade of the Gawler G3 furnace, including a $12.5 million Australian Government grant under the Modern Manufacturing initiative, has reduced natural gas consumption by 32 per cent, eliminating more than 13,000 tonnes per annum of carbon dioxide CO₂ emissions, while nitrogen oxides NOₓ emissions have fallen by more than 70 per cent compared with the previous recuperative furnace.

The results highlight the role of oxyfuel technology in decarbonising energy intensive industrial processes while maintaining productivity at scale.

"The G3 furnace represents a step change in how glass is manufactured in Australia," said Greg Savage, Senior Vice President, Orora Glass Asia Pacific. "Achieving a reduction of more than 70 per cent in NOₓ emissions and cutting over 13,000 tonnes of CO₂ in the first year alone, demonstrates that investment in advanced technology can deliver measurable environmental outcomes while continuing to meet the needs of our customers."

Delivering Measurable Sustainability Outcomes

The G3 furnace replaces a traditional air fuel design with oxyfuel melting, supported by onsite oxygen generation. By removing nitrogen from the combustion process, the furnace operates at higher thermal efficiency, directly reducing fuel use and associated emissions.

The upgraded design has also nearly doubled electric boosting capacity compared with the previous furnace, enabling increased use of electrical energy and further reducing reliance on natural gas in glass production.

Despite the additional electricity required to generate oxygen, the furnace has delivered a net reduction in emissions, contributing materially to Orora's Scope 1 and Scope 2 emissions performance. When combined with increased use of recycled glass, total CO₂ savings now exceed 27,000 tonnes per annum.

"These outcomes confirm oxyfuel technology as a critical enabler of our emissions reduction pathway," Mr Savage said. "They position Orora strongly as we work towards our 2035 sustainability commitments and continue to decarbonise our manufacturing footprint."

Advancing a More Circular Glass Industry

Performance of the furnace has been further enhanced by Orora's onsite glass beneficiation plant, which has enabled a substantial increase in recycled glass (or cullet), usage. The beneficiation plant can process up to 150,000 tonnes of glass each year - which is equivalent to approximately 330 million wine bottles or 750 million beer bottles. Helping to increase cullet utilisation by more than 30 per cent, with peak production periods sometimes achieving up to 90 per cent recycled content.

This improvement alone has delivered an additional 14,000 tonne reduction in CO₂ emissions per annum, demonstrating the combined impact of technology and circular manufacturing practices.

The Gawler furnace now produces more than 475 tonnes of glass per day, making it Australia's largest glass furnace and demonstrating that emissions reduction and industrial scale can progress together.

A Platform for Future Emissions Reductions

The oxyfuel furnace is a cornerstone of Orora's long term sustainability strategy, supporting its global targets to reduce emissions intensity per tonne of glass by 60 per cent by FY35 and increase post consumer recycled content in coloured glass to 68 per cent by FY35.

Orora continues to invest in complementary initiatives, including renewable energy, waste heat recovery, alternative low carbon fuels and hybrid furnace design, to accelerate progress toward its emissions reduction goals.

"We are proud of what has been achieved in the first year, but this is only the beginning," Mr Savage said. "Our focus remains on continuous improvement and investing in technologies that deliver lasting value for our customers, our communities and the environment."