Verallia and Fives have signed a contract to replace traditional gas furnaces with the Fives’ all-electric technology at the Cognac glass manufacturing plant in France.

Romain Barral, Director of Operations at Verallia, said: “This is a milestone project for the glass packaging industry that sees Verallia install an all-electric melting furnace.

"The technologies provided by our strategic partner Fives will enable us to significantly reduce CO2 emissions at the Cognac plant.”

Derrik Robb, Managing Director of Fives Stein, a Fives’ subsidiary specialized in electric melting technologies, said: “Multiple consumers are demanding lower emission production from glass manufacturing to have economical, renewable and recyclable glass for us all.

"This project is a major step forward for Verallia on its path to decarbonisation.”

Verallia is the world’s third largest producer of glass packaging for food and beverages, while Fives is an industrial engineering group.