Carletta Heinz

Founded in 1622 and still in the hands of the Heinz family, Heinz Glas is now a major player of the global glassmaking industry in the cosmetics and perfume sector. Present in 13 countries, the group counts five production sites, 7 furnaces, and 27 lines for a production capacity of 542 tonnes a day. These plants are mainly based in Germany, but also in Poland, Peru, and India. In addition, Heinz Glas stands out thanks to a broad range of decoration techniques used on several sites. Plus, they are specialized in plastic packaging production, in particular perfume caps, so their customers enjoy a comprehensive solution. Thanks to these two activities, they are expecting a 329-million-euro turnover for 2020, for a sales force of 3,200 employees all around the world.

Over the past two years, Heinz Glas has made various investments: the company purchased French glassmaker Saverglass’s cosmetics and perfume division, constructed a new furnace in Poland to meet the rising demand for standard bottles, and, most importantly, an electric furnace powered with renewable energies at their main site in Kleintettau, Germany. The electric furnace will be operational starting from 2021.

Enhancing the sustainable profile of glass

Heinz Glas aims to further reduce their environmental impact: they have made various investments over the past few years to substantially reduce CO2 emissions at every phase, from production to the finished product. “Our objective is to become the most sustainable company of our industry. So, we continuously reduce our resource consumption,” says Carletta Heinz.

To highlight this commitment, Heinz Glas has developed the MultiGen concept, a combination of various improvement solutions aimed to produce ecoresponsible glass by using renewable energies, systematically lightening glass weight, and integrating recycled materials.

The MultiGen Air option is focused on greener production processes, with electricity derived from renewable energies in Germany, Poland, and Peru, the new electric oven, and electricity-based plastic production, which will save 30% energy, compared to hydraulic power. MultiGen Feather plays on lightened design, and MultiGen Fire involves using PCR for glass and plastic. MultiGen Rainbow puts an emphasis on sustainable decoration processes, and MultiGen Circle consists in using recycled materials or materials derived from biomass (caps).

Green glass: tomorrow’s material

According to Heinz Glas, these significant investments and innovations are justified by the growing part glass will represent in the cosmetics and perfume industry. Indeed, with its green virtues, this high quality material appeals to both young generations and brands in search of sustainable solutions. In fact, the company has been increasingly successful with standard ranges and their lightened equivalents for bottles and skincare.

Innovations are also in line with digital and personalization trends, in particular the Times Square bottle launched in 2018. This “smart”, refillable bottle with a removable digital screen offers unique personalization options involving videos, pictures, and information. And Amaz’n’Gaze gives access to the information, videos, or messages desired by simply scanning the bottle’s decoration.

Personalization is also achieved through digital decorations with flocking, depth, or crackle effects.

Only moderately affected by this year’s global slowdown thanks to a parallel business in the spirits sector, Heinz Glas is confident for the future: the Chinese market has started to recover, and they are planning to open a new production site there in 2022.