Company Announcements

PARIS--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Mar. 16, 2023-- Regulatory News:

Air Liquide (Paris:AI) will implement for Verallia, the European leader and the world’s third largest producer of glass packaging for beverages and food products, a customized solution allowing to reduce CO₂ emissions and energy consumption. The Group is thus mobilizing its innovation capabilities and its know-how to accompany the conversion of Verallia’s plant in Pescia, Italy, from a traditional combustion process to an optimized oxycombustion on the occasion of the construction of a new furnace on the site.

The solution provided by Air Liquide combines the supply of oxygen and the reuse of the heat available from the glass production process. In the framework of a long-term contract, the Group will build and operate for Verallia a new generation onsite oxygen production unit in Pescia, Italy. The oxygen produced by this unit will replace the air usually injected into the furnace, thereby allowing to melt the glass by oxycombustion and to improve the efficiency of the process. In addition, Air Liquide will supply its HeatOx™ proprietary technology to recover the heat emitted by the glass furnace in order to further reduce the amount of energy needed to produce glass.

The global solution provided by Air Liquide will very significantly contribute to the reduction by 18% of the CO₂ emissions (scope 1 and 2) that Verallia targets for its glass furnace in Pescia.

In addition, the new generation onsite oxygen production unit to be built and operated by Air Liquide will be equipped with a unique cryogenic process and will be 10% more energy efficient than the previous generation. Producing oxygen onsite also avoids its transport in liquid form by trucks.

Matthieu Giard, Vice President and Executive Committee Member of the Air Liquide Group, supervising notably the Industrial Merchant business line: “This partnership will allow Verallia to reduce both the energy consumption and environmental footprint of its glass production in Pescia. Leveraging our deep knowledge of our clients’ production processes, it illustrates our ability to combine several innovations so as to develop tailor-made solutions with them. This collaboration is in line with our ADVANCE strategic plan, which aims to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050 while supporting our customers in their decarbonization process.”

Air Liquide’s Industrial Merchant Business Line
Air Liquide’s Industrial Merchant Business Line delivers industrial gases and innovative solutions, including application technologies, equipment and services. From independent professionals to large industrial companies, our 33 000 employees serve over 2 million customers daily across about 60 countries. In 2022, revenues were € 11,567 million.

A world leader in gases, technologies and services for Industry and Health, Air Liquide is present in 73 countries with approximately 67,100 employees and serves more than 3.9 million customers and patients. Oxygen, nitrogen and hydrogen are essential small molecules for life, matter and energy. They embody Air Liquide’s scientific territory and have been at the core of the company’s activities since its creation in 1902.

Taking action today while preparing the future is at the heart of Air Liquide’s strategy. With ADVANCE, its strategic plan for 2025, Air Liquide is targeting a global performance, combining financial and extra-financial dimensions. Positioned on new markets, the Group benefits from major assets such as its business model combining resilience and strength, its ability to innovate and its technological expertise. The Group develops solutions contributing to climate and the energy transition—particularly with hydrogen—and takes action to progress in areas of healthcare, digital and high technologies.

Air Liquide’s revenue amounted to more than 29.9 billion euros in 2022. Air Liquide is listed on the Euronext Paris stock exchange (compartment A) and belongs to the CAC 40, CAC 40 ESG, EURO STOXX 50, FTSE4Good and DJSI Europe indexes.

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Source: Air Liquide