Recaptured Heat from O-I Glass Plant Heats Homes in Reims, France

Homes in a historic Reims, France, neighborhood are now being heated in part by recaptured heat from the nearby O-I Glass manufacturing plant. The innovative system creates a significant reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. O-I Glass, Inc. and the France-based energy solution company Dalkia built a heat recovery network that is capturing heat from the furnace at O-I’s Reims plant and reusing it to heat homes in the area’s historic Saint Remi neighborhood, which is home to Saint Remi Basilica. The teams implemented a high-tech heat recovery unit in the plant. The unit captures heat generated by the glass-making furnace to reuse in a thermal energy network to heat more than 1200 homes in the historic Saint Remi neighbourhood. Recouping the furnace heat and reusing it to heat homes saves 2630 tons of CO2 annually, which is equivalent to taking 1460 vehicles off the road each year. “We are very pleased to participate in this operation, which shows that we can take concrete action for the environment,” says Reims plant manager Dallah Mekki. “With new high-tech equipment, a new global configuration and additional technical innovations, the factory has considerably increased its flexibility, production capacities and energy efficiency.” O-I is the worldwide leader in glass packaging manufacturing. Glass packaging has numerous earth-friendly benefits, including its ability to be recycled into new glass bottles and jars time and time again. Not only do we believe in creating sustainable packaging for the food and beverage industry, but we are committed to sustainable manufacturing, which includes reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 25% by 2030. Projects like recapturing heat from the O-I Reims plant is one example of how O-I is constantly innovating the glass manufacturing process.