The market for modernization measures at European glass factories will increase considerably in the years to come, according to a report available from Research and Markets. By 2020, about €14 billion (approximately $15.7 billion) will be invested in the European glass industry, an annual increase of up to 45% compared to the past years’ average. 

The main reason for this growth is the Industrial Emissions Directive (IED), which defines EU-wide limit values for air and water emissions for different industrial sectors from 2016 on. The specific limit values are determined in the best available techniques (BAT) reference documents and the BAT conclusions. The glass industry is one of the first industries that BAT conclusions have already been published for. The content of these conclusions and the way the affected glass factories will handle them thus also give a signal to other industries.

More than 420 European glass factories have to comply with the limit values from 2016 on. The limit values for nitrogen oxides and sulphur oxides will be particularly challenging for many glass factory operators, both in technical and financial terms—and especially in countries with less strict legal frameworks, as is the case in many Eastern European states. However, many glass factories are also lacking state-of-the-art technology in countries such as France and Spain.

As a result, most glass manufacturers will have to invest in modernizing their factories. Funds will go to optimizing individual production processes or to new technical components for flue gas cleaning, furnace technologies, or sealing the melters.

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