INDUSTRIAL ACCELERATOR ACT: EUROPEAN GLASS PACKAGING INDUSTRY WELCOMES RECOGNITION OF GLASS AS A STRATEGIC SECTOR

Brussels, 04 03 2026 – Following today’s publication of the European Commission’s proposal for an Industrial Accelerator Act (IAA) (1), the European Container Glass Federation (FEVE) welcomes the recognition of glass manufacturing as a strategic industrial sector and the streamlining of permitting procedures for energy-intensive industry decarbonisation projects.

The proposed objective for manufacturing to account for at least 20% of EU GDP by 2035 sends an important signal of renewed industrial ambition. However, urgent action on multiple fronts is needed to get there and safeguard the competitiveness of the industry, while enabling decarbonisation at scale in a moment marked by increasing energy and carbon costs and intense competition, leading to unprecedent production decline and furnaces closures across Europe.

«Europe’s glass packaging industry is fully committed to decarbonisation and is investing to make it happen» said Carlo Pirrone, Secretary General of FEVE. «While today’s proposal is a step in the right direction, we need bolder action to lower energy prices, boost grids development and simplify rules to maintain our competitive edge»

The European container glass industry stands as a resilient and strategically important contributor to the EU economy and to local supply chains. Glass packaging also underpins Europe’s global trade strength, supporting exports of high-value goods — from food and beverages to pharmaceuticals and cosmetics — worth over €140 billion, or 6.1% of total EU exports (2).  With the right framework conditions, the sector can deliver fully circular, non-toxic packaging solutions while advancing toward decarbonised manufacturing (3) — preserving industrial capacity, jobs and strategic autonomy in Europe.

END NOTES

1. Industrial Accelerator Act: https://single-market-economy.ec.europa.eu/publications/industrial-accelerator-act_en
2. Industry update: a challenging context, but resilient outlook: https://feve.org/year-2024-industry-report
3. 2025 Decarbonisation Update – «Accelerating the European container glass industry’s energy transition» – https://feve.org/decarbonisation-glass-packaging

About FEVE – The European Container Glass Federation

FEVE is the Federation of European manufacturers of glass containers for food and beverage, perfumery, cosmetics and pharmaceutical sectors. Its members produce over 20 million tonnes of glass or more than 80 billion containers per year. The association has 24 independent group members. Manufacturing plants are located across 23 European States and include global blue-chip and major companies working for the world’s biggest consumer brands. The Container Glass sector in Europe makes a significant contribution to the EU Economy and supports essential sectors. More than 125,000 people work in the glass packaging value chain across Europe. It guarantees resilient local supply chains with a proximity of service to its suppliers and clients. Every year €610 million is invested in upgrading plants for better energy efficiency and reduced CO₂ emissions (i.e. representing a significant 10% of the operational and maintenance costs). The sector exports around €1.2 billion (empty bottles and jars) and if we take account of items almost always or often packed in glass, glass is an enabler of extra EU exports of around €140 billion.

For more information, contact:
Michael Delle Selve – E-MAIL m.delleselve@feve.org; GSM: +32 475 52 24 58; WEBSITE: www.feve.org