Spain: Anfevi defends the glass container as the most sustainable

July 15, 2015

ANFEVI presents its latest study on the environmental, social and economic contribution of container glass in Spain, presented on July 15 in Madrid, by the Under-Secretary of the Ministry of Industry, Energy and Tourism, Enrique Hernández Bento.

Under-Secretary wanted to highlight “the great role that is making the glass container industry not only as support but also export our products and always within the strictest environmental and labor values.”

It has also highlighted the Government’s commitment to strengthen the industry as a generator of employment and growth, which has resulted in the Agenda for strengthening the industrial sector 2014, which has launched 97 measures to ensure that our industry can approach the target account for 20% of GDP in 2020.

During the presentation, it has highlighted the 19 million glass containers intended for food and beverages, which occurred a day for 2014, representing a production of over 7,000 billion packages a year. This translates into a total of 2.3 million tonnes of glass generated in Spain.

Circular Economy

These conclusions have been collected by the independent consultant CIMAS order to analyze the social, environmental and economic impact of the glass container industry in Spain. According to the references therein, it is one of the sectors that contribute most to the “local economy”, as almost 90% of the raw materials used in production are of domestic origin, which not only promotes economy of the area but also reduces the environmental impact generated by the sector, and promote the creation of over 3,000 direct jobs (more than 8,000 indirect jobs also counting and induced) in those regions where are located the production centers. Of these jobs, 93% are permanent contracts with an average of 13 years old, doubling the national average.

For the president of ANFEVI, Gonzalo Fernandez Gomez: “Right now it seems more timely than ever reclaim the role of our industry and our businesses as they are essential as the engine of the economy, as creators of wealth, generating employment and to support the development of people. ”

In addition to its economic aspects, the report presents industry as a clear example of “Circular Economy”, based on a model that manufactures reducing the need for raw materials and energy, while avoiding emissions and waste generation. This is possible thanks to the qualities of the glass, a recyclable material to 100% and make the effort to continually industries sector, which has invested 672 million euros in the last decade in new technologies, cleaner and more efficient, for minimizing increasing the impact on the environment it is caused. Thanks to this production model in Spain has reached a recycling rate of about 70% of packaging consumed.

Finally, the report also revealed the high competitiveness of this sector, which has made Spain in 2014 has become the fifth largest European producer behind Germany, Italy, France and the UK manufacturer of this type of packaging.

Source: Anfevi