MONAHAN ROAD, CORK, Ireland,
Nov. 9, 2021 /PRNewswire/
-- Three industry leaders in sustainable solutions for the
glass industry are coming together to collaborate on innovative
technology to increase the strength and thereby significantly
reduce the weight of glass bottles. Dassault Systèmes, Ardagh Group
and EXXERGY will begin 'virtual twin' trials on Diageo's iconic
Johnnie Walker bottle in
January 2022 to research and develop
a coating that will enable the glass bottle to be lightweighted
without compromising its strength and shape – an industry
first.
The virtual trial will pioneer science-based sustainable
innovations to reduce the time and cost needed to test glass
products, while also reducing the raw materials and energy used in
the process. A virtual twin is a real-time digital representation
of a product or process that is used to model, visualise and
predict new innovations before any physical trials take place. The
trial will research and develop a new external coating for the
glass bottle to reduce the micro-cracks in the glass surface, which
will allow the glass to be much lighter while maintaining its
strength. The lightweight glass bottle will maintain its 100%
recyclability and if successful in the virtual trial, will undergo
glass bottle testing from summer 2022.
Ardagh Group, a leading global supplier in sustainable packaging
solutions, will work with EXXERGY, an international consulting firm
active in the renewable and glass sectors, to research and develop
the coatings for global beverage leader Diageo, makers of
Johnnie Walker, Smirnoff and
Gordon's gin. Dassault Systèmes will provide contract research
services using its BIOVIA applications to create a nanoscale
virtual twin of the coatings, simulate their interaction with the
surface of the glass, and test their efficacy.
John Sadlier, Chief
Sustainability Officer at Ardagh Group, commented on the upcoming
product development: "Ardagh Group has pioneered the
lightweighting of glass and as a leading global supplier of
infinitely recyclable, sustainable metal and glass packaging, we
have a responsibility to respond to the sustainability challenges
we all face. Together with our customers and supply chain partners,
we are eager to explore the potential of digitalisation to drive
new and innovative lightweighting solutions."
Glass lightweighting is one of the solutions for reducing the
glass sector's CO₂ impact and carbon emissions will be reduced in
both the manufacturing of the bottle and transportation of the
finished goods. Should this collaboration project be successful, it
will be a major breakthrough for virtual twin technology in
supporting the sustainability ambitions of the glass industry and
enabling the decarbonisation of the sector as a whole.
"There is a growing urgency to change our ways of production
and consumption. We need to rethink everything, and dare to imagine
the boldest sustainability initiatives," said Florence
Verzelen, Executive Vice President, Industry, Marketing &
Sustainability, Dassault Systèmes. "Using Dassault Systèmes'
virtual twin technology, companies can design and simulate
radically different new sustainable materials, products and
processes in record time. They can be right, but also sustainable
the first time."
"At Diageo, sustainability and particularly sustainable
packaging is a key priority. We're excited to be part of this
pioneering trial that embraces the principles of our Diageo
Sustainable Solutions platform which encourages innovation and
collaboration in developing scientific solutions to the impact of
climate change. We've made a commitment in our Society 2030
strategy to have net zero carbon emissions across all operations by
2050 or earlier and should this trial be successful, it's a great
step towards us achieving that." said Lucy Fishwick, Head of Procurement – Grain to
Glass Sustainability, Diageo.
About Ardagh Group
Ardagh Group is a global supplier of infinitely recyclable metal
and glass packaging for brand owners around the world. Ardagh
operates 57 metal and glass production facilities in 12 countries,
employing over 16,000 people with sales of approximately
$7bn.
About Dassault Systèmes
Dassault Systèmes, the 3DEXPERIENCE Company, is a catalyst for
human progress. We provide business and people with collaborative
3D virtual environments to imagine sustainable innovations. By
creating virtual twin experiences of the real world with our
3DEXPERIENCE platform and applications, our customers push the
boundaries of innovation, learning and production. Dassault
Systèmes brings value to more than 290,000 customers of all sizes,
in all industries, in more than 140 countries. For more
information, visit www.3ds.com
3DEXPERIENCE, the Compass icon, the 3DS logo, CATIA, BIOVIA,
GEOVIA, SOLIDWORKS, 3DVIA, ENOVIA, NETVIBES, MEDIDATA, CENTRIC PLM,
3DEXCITE, SIMULIA, DELMIA, and IFWE are commercial trademarks or
registered trademarks of Dassault Systèmes, a French "société
européenne" (Versailles Commercial Register # B 322 306 440), or
its subsidiaries in the United
States and/or other countries.
About Diageo
Diageo is a global leader in beverage alcohol with an
outstanding collection of brands across spirits and beer
categories. These brands include Johnnie
Walker, Crown Royal, J&B, Buchanan's and Windsor
whiskies, Smirnoff, Cîroc and Ketel One vodkas, Captain Morgan,
Baileys, Don Julio, Tanqueray and
Guinness.
Diageo is a global company whose products are sold in more than
180 countries around the world. The company is listed on both the
London Stock Exchange (DGE) and the New York Stock Exchange (DEO).
For more information about Diageo, our people, our brands, and
performance, visit us at www.diageo.com. Visit Diageo's
global responsible drinking resource, www.DRINKiQ.com, for
information, initiatives and ways to share best practice.
About EXXERGY
EXXERGY is a German-based network of leading expert consultants
specializing in the renewable energy and the glass industries.
EXXERGY has experience in technical optimization, business and
financial strategy development and implementation, organizational
development and change management. Two features of EXXERGY's
work are its innovation capability, for example, the development of
a technical rating system for renewable energy assets and
development of the glass strengthening technology, and its
contribution to the public good, for example leading the
development of conformity assessment for renewable energy through
IECRE.
EXXERGY has subsidiaries in Switzerland, in the USA, and in China.
View original content to download
multimedia:https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/industry-first-virtual-trials-to-begin-on-lightweighting-glass-bottles-301419017.html
SOURCE Ardagh Group S.A.