Absolut Vodka will reportedly become the first global spirits brand to move to partly hydrogen energy-fired glass furnace for large-scale production. For the company, this is a significant step to reduce CO₂ emissions from its glass bottle production. Absolut Vodka says the hydrogen initiative is an important milestone in their process of becoming CO₂ neutral by 2030.

Absolut has signed an agreement with Ardagh Glass Packaging in Limmared, a subsidiary of Ardagh Group, to use its partially hydrogen-fired furnace in the second half of 2023. The partnership says that its aim is to accelerate the transformation of the global glass-making process for a more sustainable future.

Absolut has been partnered with Ardagh’s Limmared glassworks in Sweden for 40 years. Its partner reportedly uses a combination of natural gas and electricity to power its furnaces. In the second half of 2023, Ardagh will launch a pilot in its Limmared plant that will replace 20% of its natural gas with green hydrogen to manufacture all of Absolut Vodka’s glass bottles onsite. This change is reported to be for all markets globally.

Stéphanie Durroux, chief executive of The Absolut Company states, "Given we've been investing in our own production for decades, decreasing our emissions and increasing energy efficiency, we're now in a position where we also can focus on the parts of our value chain that are outside or our own scope. The glass manufacturing industry is in a transformative journey, and the world can't wait for the perfect solution. A bold and innovative approach is needed to accelerate radical change that will help solve the significant sustainability challenges that all glassmakers and buyers of glass face."