Sustainable glass factory to eliminate 29,000 tons of CO2 per year

With the growing demand by eco-conscious Europeans for glass food and drink containers, the Flemish glass industry in Belgium is poised for a revival with the state-of-the-art Ciner Glass glass-making factory in Lommel. The facility will be capable of producing a whopping 1,300 tons of glass each day, for distribution throughout Belgium, the Netherlands and Luxembourg. The ceremonial foundation glass stone was laid in November 2023 and the first of two furnaces is scheduled to enter into operation in early 2025.

Tractebel plays key role in glass industry revival

As Owner’s Engineer, Tractebel’ Infrastructures experts are responsible for the following:

- Environmental permit (in cooperation with Mint Architects)
- Project management and coordination
- Architecture redesign - Structural and geotechnical design review
- Design building MEP (in collaboration with our colleagues at RED)
- Design infrastructure
- Environmental impact assessment
- Zero carbon roadmap
- Tender files for architecture, structures, building MEP and infrastructure
- Site follow-up and delivery for architecture, stability, techniques and infrastructure

Tractebel and sister company RED play key roles in the Ciner Glass project

As of November 2023, the contracts with the main contractors have been signed and the inaugural foundation stone was laid in the presence of VIP attendees. Guests were welcomed to the ceremony for this important investment project by the Mayor of Lommel, Bob Nijs. Flemish Minister-President Jan Jambon, Flemish Minister of Work and Economy Jo Brouns, and Faruk Kaymakcı, Permanent Delegate of the Republic of Türkiye to the European Union expressed strong support for the initiative. The stone was laid by the Chair of Ciner Glass Didem Ciner and Turgay Ciner, the founder of Ciner Glass Group.

The Ciner Glass inauguration ceremony took place in Lommel, Belgium, November 2023

The cutting edge of sustainability

Ciner Glass, part of the Turkish conglomerate Ciner Group, has a strong focus on sustainability for the construction, operation and products of its start-of-the-art glass production facility. Tractebel is contributing to this through the scope of its design mandate (together with our colleagues at RED) and in creating the project’s zero carbon roadmap. The use of 75% recycled glass, which can be recycled indefinitely, saves on raw materials and lowers energy consumption by 20%. The high-quality bottles will be 10% lighter, minimizing emissions during transport. Add local production to the equation and the result is a yearly reduction in CO2 of close to 29,000 tons.

Not only will the Ciner Glass factory tackle climate change through the reduced environmental footprint of its production techniques, product, distribution and end users, it will also contribute economically by creating over 500 jobs.

Illustration of the future Ciner Glass facility

“We view all our projects through the lens of sustainability, and the strong environmental focus of the Ciner Glass project aligns with our net-zero objectives. Our teams are proud that Ciner Glass has chosen Tractebel, in collaboration with Mint Architects, as its engineering partner. We look forward to playing a key role in reducing emissions and boosting economic growth via a such an important project.”

Frederik Ghyssaert, Project Manager, Tractebel Infrastructures Europe