Family-owned spirits company, Bacardi has successfully completed the world’s first commercial production of a glass spirits bottle fueled by hydrogen in a trial that took place in December 2023.

Bacardi worked with premium glassmaker, Hrastnik1860, to pioneer new technology that powered a glass furnace with hydrogen as its primary energy source and in doing so cut the Greenhouse Gas (GHG) emissions typically produced as a byproduct of glass bottle production.

The bottle, which for the purposes of the trial was the iconic ST-GERMAIN^® elderflower liqueur bottle, is identical in appearance to the bottle produced using traditional methods and will reach bars and stores in the coming weeks.

Over the course of the trial, which produced 150,000 of the brand’s 70 cl glass bottles, hydrogen contributed more than 60 % of the fuel for the glass furnace, cutting GHG emissions by more than 30 %.

To achieve its ambition of becoming the most environmentally responsible global spirits company, Bacardi is continuously investing in new innovations and exploring opportunities to use pioneering new technology to help achieve its ultimate goal of Net Zero.

About Hrastnik1860
Hrastnik1860, a member of the Vaider Group, has more than 160 years of expertise in glass and is a global partner in the development and manufacturing of world-class engineered glass products. The company is known for creating technically demanding bottles, primarily for the spirits industry, and is a full-service solution partner—from R&D and consulting to innovative design, prototyping, manufacturing, decoration, and delivery. Hrastnik1860’s products are acclaimed for their perfect crystal shine and are entirely free of heavy metals. They range from traditional designs to innovative solutions that have won many prestigious awards.

Costain is working with Dwr Cymru Welsh Water, Wales and West Utilities and food and drink manufacturer Princes Group on a feasibility study to produce hydrogen from biogas from the Cardiff East Waste Water Treatment Works that willfuel boilersto provide heat for fruit juice pasteurisation.

The programme is funded through the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy’s (BEIS)£1 billion Net Zero Innovation Portfolio, which aims to accelerate the commercialisation of innovative clean energy technologies and processes through the 2020s and 2030s.

The H2Juice project has been awarded £372,931 of funding from the BEIS£26 million Industrial Hydrogen Accelerator Programme (Stream 2A), to demonstrate the feasibility of end-to-end industrial fuel switching to hydrogen. The study will take five months with the possibility to awarded further funding in the subsequent Stream 2B, to conduct further engineering and a demonstrator.

The feasibility study will also investigate the ability to utilise different blends of hydrogen with natural gas, enabling the transition to fuel switching and demonstration of system flexibility.

Costain Energy Sector Director, Matt Browell-Hook, said “I’m delighted that our H2Juice project has been selected under the Government’s hydrogen accelerator programme. Costain has been active for a number of years in the development of hydrogen schemes across the UK and this recent award is a great reflection of the hard work our energy teams have been involved in.”

This project builds on a similar study carried out with Welsh Water to evaluate the feasibility of converting waste gases from the sewage treatment process to produce fuel grade hydrogen, which could power local fleet vehicles.