Sibsteklo, AB InBev Efes and the regional Ministry of Industry and Trade signed a green cooperation agreement

The agreement on strategic partnership in the field of sustainable development, signed by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Entrepreneurship Development of the Novosibirsk Region, Siberian Glass LLC and AB InBev Efes, is aimed at reducing the negative impact on the environment, developing infrastructure for collection, processing, and recycling of waste and envisages, among other things, the implementation of an innovative project for the production of the "lightest bottle".

LLC Siberian Glass (Sibsteklo, an asset of RATM Holding) is one of the leading manufacturers of glass containers in Russia, the largest recycler of glass waste in Siberia. Currently, the productivity of glass complexes is more than 800 million glass items per year; the enterprise is ready to utilize up to 200 thousand tons of cullet per year.

AB InBev Efes is the largest brewing company formed in 2018 through the merger of AB InBev and Anadolu Efes assets in Russia and Ukraine. In our country, the company owns 11 breweries - in Vladivostok, Volzhsky, Ivanovo, Kazan, Kaluga, Klin, Novosibirsk, Omsk, Saransk, Ulyanovsk, Ufa, and three malt complexes - in Kazan, Omsk and Saransk. The brand portfolio of AB InBev Efes includes more than 75 well-known brands.

- To date, a bottle made by the technology of narrow-necked press-blowing weighs 260 g - 30% less than a standard 340 g. In November, Sibstekle produced a pilot batch of a bottle already weighing 235 g; now the products are being tested at AB InBev Efes. We managed to reduce the weight thanks to new design solutions, - said Anton Mor, General Director of Siberian Glass LLC. - In this case, it is necessary to comply with all requirements for the safety and quality of glass packaging. Strength characteristics should ensure the operational reliability of glass containers - drinks contain carbon dioxide, they are bottled under pressure, at high speed: when the wall thickness of the bottle is uniform, it withstands shock loads.

AB InBev Efes, which is interested in minimizing the technogenic impact on the ecosystem in the supply chain, calls such glass containers more environmentally friendly, since its use allows the company to reduce glass consumption.

According to Anton Mor, the serial production of the "lightest bottle" is planned to begin in February 2022. By lightening container glass, the plant can produce more glass products without increasing the consumption of raw materials and energy.

“One ton of molten glass can be used to make 2,941 standard bottles weighing 340 g or 4,255 super-light bottles weighing 235 g - a difference of 1.4 times,” Anton Mor gives an example.

In addition, Sibsteklo strives to optimize environmental management, including by changing the ratio of natural materials and glass waste in the composition of raw materials in favor of the latter.

Recall that the melting point of cullet is not as high as a mixture of sand, soda and dolomite - every 10% of recyclable materials reduce energy consumption by 3%, as a result, and CO2 emissions. The involvement of glass waste in the economic turnover slows down the depletion of mineral reserves and the rate of accumulation of useful "garbage" fractions at MSW landfills.

Cooperation with AB InBev Efes expands partnerships for Sibstekl with the HoReCa sector - the agreement implies joint work of a glass container manufacturer and a brewery to collect and recycle used glass from bars, restaurants, entertainment centers. Already today, the project covers more than 130 enterprises in the hospitality industry, from which more than 200 tons of cullet have been received.

“As a global and Russian leader, we take full responsibility for the implementation of the sustainable development strategy,” comments Oraz Durdyev, Director for Legal Affairs and Corporate Relations of AB InBev Efes. - Our company has set itself a global goal by 2025 to completely switch to recyclable containers or packaging from predominantly recycled materials. The launch of a pilot project to collect and recycle glass waste is an important step towards achieving this goal. We appreciate the willingness of our partners in the HoReCa field to join this environmental initiative, whose positive indicators indicate the prospects of work in this direction. Together with the Siberian Glass company, we will continue to develop the infrastructure for the collection, processing and recycling of waste and introduce environmental innovations in the production sector, focusing on the needs of our consumer.

According to Anton Mor, from 2022 Sibsteklo will start purchasing cardboard pallets and film produced using at least 30% of secondary raw materials.

The parties to the agreement expect that by the end of 2024 the share of glass waste in the raw mixture for the manufacture of glass containers in the Novosibirsk region will reach at least 40%. They also agreed on the implementation of common programs in order to form a culture of responsible consumption among citizens.

According to the head of the regional ministry of industry and trade, Andrei Goncharov, the agreement is in line with the goals of the Low-Carbon Development Strategy of the Russian Federation and will support the creation of a waste management system.

- Being in a dialogue with the government of the Novosibirsk region, both Sibsteklo and AB InBev Efes, which occupy leading positions in the industry markets, achieve sustainable development goals, including those related to ecology, in the implementation of their core activities, - noted the President of RATM Holding Eduard Ram. - The companies have been working together for a long time, and therefore it is natural that they already interact effectively in the environmental direction. Relying on unique production capabilities and strengthening each other's competencies in search of the best solutions, the parties will contribute to the "green" transformation of the economy in the interests of society and the state, while at the same time striving for the growth of key business indicators.

Sibsteklo LLC is a member of the Association StekloSouz of Russia.