A collaborative project has been announced to develop techniques for reducing the amount of glass needed in glass bottles.
Dassault Systèmes, Ardagh Group and EXXERGY, three leading providers of sustainable solutions within the glass industry, will begin trials in 2022 to devise ways of “lightweighting” the bottle design for Diageo’s Johnnie Walker whisky.
To do this, the companies will use a “virtual twin,” a computer model that can be used to stress-test design concepts in real-time before building a physical prototype. The virtual twin increases the speed of design iteration as well as reducing prototyping costs and waste.
The lightweight glass bottle is expected to maintain 100% recyclability from the current design.
John Sadlier, Chief Sustainability Officer at Ardagh Group, commented on the upcoming product development: “Ardagh Group has pioneered the lightweighting of glass and as a leading global supplier of infinitely recyclable, sustainable metal and glass packaging, we have a responsibility to respond to the sustainability challenges we all face.”
Florence Verzelen, Executive Vice President, Industry, Marketing & Sustainability, Dassault Systèmes said: “There is a growing urgency to change our ways of production and consumption. We need to rethink everything, and dare to imagine the boldest sustainability initiatives.
“Using Dassault Systèmes’ virtual twin technology, companies can design and simulate radically different new sustainable materials, products and processes in record time.”
Lightweighting is one of the primary ways the glass sector is looking at reducing emissions. By cutting the amount of material needed for the manufacture of glass bottles, the efficiency of processing can be increased. The process also improves the efficiency of transportation, as lighter bottles reduce the fuel cost of shipping.
“At Diageo, sustainability and particularly sustainable packaging is a key priority,” said Lucy Fishwick, Head of Procurement at Grain to Glass Sustainability, Diageo.
“We’re excited to be part of this pioneering trial that embraces the principles of our Diageo Sustainable Solutions platform, which encourages innovation and collaboration in developing scientific solutions to the impact of climate change.”
