Visy’s $150M glass furnace revolutionises AU manufacturing

Visy has launched Australia’s energy-efficient glass furnace at its recycling and remanufacturing facility in Penrith, Sydney.

This $150 million investment, officially opened by New South Wales Premier Chris Minns and Visy Chairman Anthony Pratt, marks the country’s first oxygen-only fueled furnace, using less than half the energy of its predecessor.

“That’s the equivalent of saving enough energy to heat over 32,000 Sydney homes every year,” Pratt stated.

Visy’s Penrith site is the only glass bottle and jar manufacturing factory in New South Wales, producing over 800 million glass containers annually for renowned Australian brands such as Vegemite, Cottee’s Jam, Toohey’s New, and Bundaberg Ginger Beer.

The facility also employs advanced recycled cullet pre-heating technology to significantly increase the use of recycled glass in the manufacturing process, the company said in a media release.

“This new technology is part of our program to make glass containers with an average of 70 percent recycled content across Australia and New Zealand,” Pratt explained.

The factory utilises recycled glass from household recycling bins and the Return and Earn container deposit scheme to manufacture new bottles and jars.

“At Visy, we’re not just manufacturers – we’re in the landfill avoidance business because recycling is an important weapon against climate change,” said Pratt.

“We’re investing in low energy technology, as well as high-paying, green-collar jobs, and boosting Australia’s manufacturing capability.”

New South Wales Premier Chris Minns expressed his support for the investment in Western Sydney.

“We welcome Visy’s vote of confidence in Western Sydney and NSW. The bottles and jars made here will end up in the hands of millions of Aussies each year,” said Minns.