The DOI matches its Crossref record; 209 of the 215 references it cites were found in a registry or an index.
Decarbonizing the glass industry: A critical and systematic review of developments, sociotechnical systems and policy options
Open accessAbstract
Glass is a material inextricably linked with human civilization. It is also the product of an energy intensive industry . About 75%–85% of the total energy requirements to produce glass occur when the raw materials are heated in a furnace to more than 1500 °C. During this process, large volumes of emissions arise. The container and flat glass industries, which combined account for 80% of total glass production, emit over 60 million tonne of CO 2 per year. However, environmental issues relating to the glass industry are not just limited to the manufacturing stage, but also from raw materials extraction, which impacts local ecosystems and creates other environmental challenges associated with tailing ponds , waste disposal and landfills. This systematic review poses five questions to examine these issues and themes: What alternatives exist to abate the climate effects of glass and thus make the full life cycle of glass more sustainable? What are the key determinants of energy and carbon from glass? What technical innovations have been identified to make glass manufacturing low to zero carbon? What benefits will amass from more carbon-friendly process in glass manufacturing, and what barriers will need tackling? To examine these questions, this study presents the findings of a comprehensive and critical systematic review of 701 studies (and a shorter sample of 375 studies examined in depth). A sociotechnical lens is used to assess glass manufacturing and use across multiple sectors (including buildings, automotive manufacturing, construction, electronics, and renewable energy), and options to decarbonize. The study identifies a number of barriers ranging from financial to infrastructural capacity, along with high potential avenues for future research.
Overview
Integrity signals
Registry
Cites
Statistics
Verification
Claims the paper makes
Claims other papers make about this one
Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?
In the citing paper
“Additionally, the study identified impediments to the glass industry’s decarbonization, including a shortage of capital, fluctuating energy prices, and unreliable infrastructure.”
From Strategies to achieve a carbon neutral society: a review (2022) · cites this paper as Furszyfer Del Rio et al. 2022
In the citing paper
“Another study examined the glass manufacturing sector and its decarbonization process, noting that the container and flat glass industries alone release over 60 million tonnes of CO2 per year and that around 75–85% of energy is used to heat raw materials in a furnace (Furszyfer Del Rio et al. 2022).”
From Strategies to achieve a carbon neutral society: a review (2022) · cites this paper as Furszyfer Del Rio et al. 2022
In the citing paper
“Another study examined the glass manufacturing sector and its decarbonization process, noting that the container and flat glass industries alone release over 60 million tonnes of CO2 per year and that around 75–85% of energy is used to heat raw materials in a furnace (Furszyfer Del Rio et al. 2022).”
From Strategies to achieve a carbon neutral society: a review (2022) · cites this paper as Furszyfer Del Rio et al. 2022
Citations
Cites
A typology of reviews: an analysis of 14 review types and associated methodologies
Grant, M. J., & Booth, A. (2009) · Health Information & Libraries Journal · doi:10.1111/j.1471-1842.2009.00848.x · Cited by 10,817
Carbon capture and storage (CCS): the way forward
Bui, M., Adjiman, C. S., Bardow, A., Anthony, E. J., Boston, A., Brown, S., Fennell, P. S., Fuss, S., Galindo, A., Hackett, L. A., et al. (2018) · Energy & Environmental Science · doi:10.1039/c7ee02342a · Cited by 4,374
Systematic reviews in the social sciences: a practical guide
(2006) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.43-5664 · Cited by 4,081
Are natural fiber composites environmentally superior to glass fiber reinforced composites?
Joshi, S., Drzal, L. T., Mohanty, A. K., & Arora, S. (2003) · Composites Part A Applied Science and Manufacturing · doi:10.1016/j.compositesa.2003.09.016 · Cited by 2,342
Food Packaging—Roles, Materials, and Environmental Issues
Marsh, K. S., & Bugusu, B. A. (2007) · Journal of Food Science · doi:10.1111/j.1750-3841.2007.00301.x · Cited by 2,113
Akhtar, A., & Sarmah, A. K. (2018) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2018.03.085 · Cited by 1,250
Sovacool, B. K., Axsen, J., & Sorrell, S. (2018) · Energy Research & Social Science · doi:10.1016/j.erss.2018.07.007 · Cited by 1,092
Self-citationRissman, J., Bataille, C., Masanet, E., Aden, N., Morrow, W. R., Zhou, N., Elliott, N., Dell, R., Heeren, N., Huckestein, B., et al. (2020) · Applied Energy · doi:10.1016/j.apenergy.2020.114848 · Cited by 1,040
Studies on concrete containing ground waste glass
Shao, Y., Lefort, T., Moras, S., & Rodriguez, D. (2000) · Cement and Concrete Research · doi:10.1016/s0008-8846(99)00213-6 · Cited by 746
Characteristics and pozzolanic reactivity of glass powders
Shi, C., Wu, Y., Riefler, C., & Wang, H. (2004) · Cement and Concrete Research · doi:10.1016/j.cemconres.2004.05.015 · Cited by 662
Research works printed but not linked: 11
- Boyd, 2004, Glass Kirk?Othmer Encycl Chem Technol, 12
- Springer
- De Jong, 2011, 2. Production, Ullmann's Encycl Ind Chem
- 2017, Glass manufacturing market size to surpass US$ 180.94 Bn by, GlobeNewswire
- Schmitz, A., Kamiński, J., Scalet, B. M. & Soria, A. Energy consumption and CO2 emissions of the European glass industry. Energy Pol 1, 142–155 (39AD). · DOI
- 2021, Alibaba. E-glass fiber, CH Expo
- Feve, 2018, Fundamental milestone towards climate-neutral glass packaging, Furn Future
- Vinci, 2019, A sustainable innovation in the Italian glass production: LCA and Eco-Care matrix evaluation, J Clean Prod, 223, 587, 10.1016/j.jclepro.2019.03.124 · DOI
- Hatzilau, 2016, Energy saving incentives for the European glass industry in the frame of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, Eceee Ind Summer Study Proc, 531
- 2017, First solar, Sustainability report
- Arasteh, 2006, Energy impacts of today’ s window stock, Aceee, 1
Cited by
Sorted by citations
Items 101–170 of 170
Yang, D., Jia, X., Xia, T., Zhang, N., Su, S., Tao, Z., Wu, Z., Liang, J., & Zhang, L. (2024) · Journal of Hazardous Materials · doi:10.1016/j.jhazmat.2024.136501 · Cited by 2
Oxyfluoride glasses obtained through incorporation of CaF2 into photovoltaic cover glass melts
Valcarenghi, R., Greatti, B. S., Muniz, R. F., Zanuto, V. S., Simon, A. P., Schneider, R., Bini, R. D., Fiori, M. A., Vigier, M., Véron, E., et al. (2025) · Journal of the American Ceramic Society · doi:10.1111/jace.70252 · Cited by 2
Improvement of Energy Performance of Glass Furnaces Using Modelling and Optimization Techniques
Kodak, O., Kaya, M. B., Sadeghi-Khanegah, F., Dumankaya, E., Alanat, G. Y., Kılıç, L., Arzan, N., & Konukman, A. E. Ş. (2025) · Processes · doi:10.3390/pr13113739 · Cited by 2
Strategies for decarbonizing the cement industry in Ethiopia: Investigating the barriers and drivers
Wolde, M. G., Khatiwada, D., Bekele, G., & Palm, B. E. (2025) · Energy Reports · doi:10.1016/j.egyr.2025.09.028 · Cited by 2
Gavurová, B., Soriano, D. R., Montesinos-Sansaloni, E. X., & Kováč, V. (2026) · British Journal of Management · doi:10.1111/1467-8551.70036 · Cited by 5
Low-Temperature Glass Formation from Industrial Enamel Frit Production Waste
HANGÜN, P. G., COŞKUN, N. D., & Keskin, E. (2026) · Coatings · doi:10.3390/coatings16020159 · Cited by 2
Defossilization of Industrial Glass Production via Carbon Capture and Utilization of Flue Gas
Drünert, F., Rahmat, Y., Fleischmann, B., & Dietrich, R. (2026) · Glass Europe · doi:10.52825/glass-europe.v4i.2861 · Cited by 2
Mazzoni, S., Pivetta, D., Tartufoli, D., Mondo, F. D., & Taccani, R. (2026) · Energy · doi:10.1016/j.energy.2026.141860 · Cited by 2
Integration of Power-To-Methane into Glass Melting Processes
Gärtner, S., Rank, D., Heberl, M., Gaderer, M., & Sterner, M. (2023) · Atlantis highlights in engineering/Atlantis Highlights in Engineering · doi:10.2991/978-94-6463-156-2_12 · Cited by 2
Li, F. G. N., Bataille, C., & Vogt‐Schilb, A. (2023) · Inter-American Development Bank eBooks · doi:10.18235/0005167 · Cited by 1
Rashad, T., Zaman, K., Khan, H. U. R., & Rashid, A. (2022) · Commodities · doi:10.3390/commodities1020009 · Cited by 2
Ferdous, Z., & Barman, S. C. (2025) · Research Square · doi:10.21203/rs.3.rs-5740831/v1 · Cited by 5
Ibn‐Mohammed, T., Bhanot, N., Mohammed, A., Dancer, C. E. J., & Kirwan, K. (2025) · Open Ceramics · doi:10.1016/j.oceram.2025.100776 · Cited by 1
Akash, F. A., nahar, S., Shovon, S. M., Rahman, W., Rahman, A., Chakraborty, P., Monir, M. U., Khan, M. F. H., Yesmin, F., & Saha, T. (2025) · International Journal of Environmental Research · doi:10.1007/s41742-025-00966-6 · Cited by 1
A model-based approach to hydrogen supply scenarios for decarbonizing the glass melting process
Fede, G., Sgarbossa, F., Silva, D. F., & Collina, G. (2025) · IFAC-PapersOnLine · doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.09.032 · Cited by 1
Terrados-Cristos, M., Carmo-Calado, L., Alves, O., Martín–Doñate, C., Ortega-Fernández, F., & Brito, P. (2025) · Biomass and Bioenergy · doi:10.1016/j.biombioe.2025.108801 · Cited by 1
Barbosa, P. M. F., Delaqua, G. C. G., & Vieira, C. M. F. (2026) · Journal of Building Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jobe.2026.115945 · Cited by 1
Rahmat, Y., Drünert, F., Fleischmann, B., & Dietrich, R. (2026) · Fuel · doi:10.1016/j.fuel.2026.140180 · Cited by 1
Palone, O., Mecucci, L., Cedola, L., Vanga, G., & Borello, D. (2026) · Journal of Cleaner Production · doi:10.1016/j.jclepro.2026.148702 · Cited by 1
The role of emerging technologies in hydrogen production: A review of safety perspectives
Benson, C., & Obasi, I. C. (2026) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2026.117320 · Cited by 1
Transparent face of global competition: the raw material dilemma in the glass and glassware industry
Bulut, E., & ABACIOĞLU, S. (2025) · Competitiveness Review An International Business Journal incorporating Journal of Global Competitiveness · doi:10.1108/cr-10-2024-0210 · Cited by 1
Developing Techniques for Closed-Loop-Recycling Soda-Lime Glass Fines through Robotic Deposition
Sparre-Petersen, M., & Hnídková, S. (2023) · Arts · doi:10.3390/arts12040166
Laser-induced Deposition Method for Mask-less Copper Patterning on the Glass Substrate
Lee, Y., Lee, H., Kim, D. M., Kim, T., & Kim, J. (2023) · Journal of the Korean Society for Precision Engineering · doi:10.7736/jkspe.023.084
Self-citationCarbon Capture and Storage with Ion-Exchange Membranes
Toussaint, Y., & Luis, P. (2024) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-323-93940-9.00201-2
Lockwood, M., Herman, K. S., Iskandarova, M., Pultar, A., Ferrier, J., & Sovacool, B. K. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4766947
Self-citationJovet, Y., Lefèvre, F., Laurent, A., & Clausse, M. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4799659
Wang, Z., Wu, A., Ruan, Z., Bürger, R., Wang, S., & Zhang, M. (2024) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.4813200
Boosting electrode performance and bubble management via Direct Laser Interference PatterningPreprint
Rox, H., Ränke, F., Mädler, J., Marzec, M. M., Sokołowski, K., Baumann, R., Hamedi, H., Yang, X., Mutschke, G., Urbas, L., et al. (2024) · arXiv (Cornell University) · doi:10.48550/arxiv.2411.03373
Zito, G. D., Gaspari, A., Contuzzi, N., Casalino, G., & Fabbiano, L. (2024) · Measurement Sensors · doi:10.1016/j.measen.2024.101605
Physical Properties Investigation of Bi2O3-PbO-B2O3-P2O5 Glasses
Ariyanti, S., Marzuki, A., Cari, C., Ramelan, A. H., Fausta, D. E., Harjana, & Sutomo, A. D. (2025) · Journal of Physics Conference Series · doi:10.1088/1742-6596/2945/1/012006
Petit, V. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5163550
Matar, W., Hamdani, S. A., & Aljamed, F. (2025) · Next research. · doi:10.1016/j.nexres.2025.100237
A System Perspective on Industrial Demand Response in a Net-Zero Energy SystemPreprint
Boldrini, A., Béres, R., Crijns-Graus, W. H. J., Worrell, E., & van den Broek, M. A. (2025) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.5203121
Glass Cullet Valorization: Benefits and Limitations for Alternative Applications
Silva, D., Mateus, J. V. O., Almeida, M. I., & Monteiro, H. (2025) · Environmental science and engineering · doi:10.1007/978-3-031-82407-4_17
The Impact of Helium Gas Content on the Insulation Performance of Dry Air
Gao, Q., Miao, J., Guan, H., Yang, A., Wang, X., & Wang, C. (2025) · Lecture notes in electrical engineering · doi:10.1007/978-981-96-4675-3_57
Yamamoto, H., NAKATSUKA, N., Hori, S., Kikuchi, K., Matsunami, T., Suzuki, K., Tomoda, T., & AKAMATSU, F. (2025) · Materials Today Sustainability · doi:10.1016/j.mtsust.2025.101143
Basics of nanocomposites for sustainable energies
Akpan, J. S., Daniel, T., Azuoko, G.-B., & Ajayi, A. A. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-30065-3.00012-0
Amaitik, N., Xu, Y., & Liu, C. (2025) · IFAC-PapersOnLine · doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.09.100
Design and Optimization of a Waste Glass Recycling Network
Ashouri, F., Diallo, C., Naggar, H. E., Venkatadri, U., & Khatab, A. (2025) · IFAC-PapersOnLine · doi:10.1016/j.ifacol.2025.09.114
Food packaging materials: Types, properties, and applications
Nerlekar, N., Satvekar, R. K., Nandre, V., & Dandge, P. B. (2025) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-24768-2.00019-3
Revolutionizing Packaging with Sustainable Polymer Composites
Blanzeanu, E., Radu, I., Cozorici, D., & Zaharia, C. (2026) · Advanced structured materials · doi:10.1007/978-981-95-2469-3_3
Xu, X., Zhang, S., Ye, G., Wu, W., Qiao, C., & Liu, P. (2026) · Journal of the Textile Institute · doi:10.1080/00405000.2026.2615628
Steen, E. E. V., Featherstone, N. S., & Callanan, L. H. (2026) · Wiley eBooks · doi:10.1002/9783527849574.ch7
Nilsson, M., Glad, W., & Eidenskog, M. (2026) · Waste Management & Research The Journal for a Sustainable Circular Economy · doi:10.1177/0734242x251415075
Driving the Shift of Manufacturing: Modelling Enablers of the Net-Zero Economy
Khan, S., Singh, R., Choudhary, M., & Alnahas, J. (2026) · Process Integration and Optimization for Sustainability · doi:10.1007/s41660-026-00706-z
Singh, S. D., Anand, P., Kushwaha, P., Roy, S. N., & Chauhan, A. S. (2026) · Circular Economy and Sustainability · doi:10.1007/s43615-026-00916-0
The Glass as Packaging Material
Falqué, E., & Piergiovanni, L. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-34158-8.00003-7
Opportunities and obstacles for industrial applications
Schlüter, A., Krogbäumker, L., Böse, K., & Riese, J. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-40493-1.00019-x
Tripathi, R., Nayak, A. N., Gouda, A. K., Priyadarshini, S., Jena, S. S., & Sahu, S. R. (2026) · Eurasian Soil Science · doi:10.1134/s106422932660017x
Vitti, M., Altieri, S., Boenzi, F., & Iavagnilio, R. P. (2026) · Springer proceedings in mathematics & statistics · doi:10.1007/978-3-032-19167-0_51
Innovative building design for efficient thermal management
Sriharan, G., Harikrishnan, S., & Ali, H. M. (2026) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-443-27676-7.00003-1
Pirselimoğlu, A., & Zöhra, B. (2026) · Journal of Mechatronics and Artificial Intelligence in Engineering · doi:10.21595/jmai.2026.26339
Lukášová, P., Kubín, A., & Procházka, R. (2026) · Energy Conversion and Management · doi:10.1016/j.enconman.2026.121706
A Critical Environmental Sustainability Evaluation of a UK University Solar Panel Installation
Robertshaw, G. S. (2026) · Journal of Environmental Protection · doi:10.4236/jep.2026.176022
Rehman, A. U., Atzori, D., Corasaniti, S., Coppa, P., Rathore, M. M., & Bovesecchi, G. (2026) · Processes · doi:10.3390/pr14132053
Machine Learning-Based Prediction of Glass Color in an Industrial Furnace
Anwar, K., Pehlivan, I., Aydın, E., Güldiren, D., Taşçı, S., & Türkay, M. (2026) · Industrial & Engineering Chemistry Research · doi:10.1021/acs.iecr.6c01738
Waste heat recovery of the glass melting furnace via non-linear process optimization
Jost, D., Kanzurova, S., Schricker, H., Nilges, B., Anand, K., & von der Assen, N. (2026) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2026.132340
Basso, G. L., & Massulli, A. R. (2026) · International Journal of Hydrogen Energy · doi:10.1016/j.ijhydene.2026.156714
He, B., Zhang, X., Huang, G., Yang, Z., Liu, Z., Deng, R., Wang, H., Wang, C., Yao, S., & Ouyang, R. (2026) · Resources Conservation & Recycling Advances · doi:10.1016/j.rcradv.2026.200374
Innovations in Inorganic Glasses: Quantitative Insights and Policies for Sustainable Manufacturing
Biswas, K., Mallik, A., & Basu, B. (2026) · Journal of the American Ceramic Society · doi:10.1111/jace.71090
Zhang, M., & Kang, X. (2026) · Journal of environmental chemical engineering · doi:10.1016/j.jece.2026.124578
Physically Consistent Real‐Time Measurement of Batch‒Cullet Mixing
Xu, W., Li, S., Dum, A., Li, D., & Polcyn, A. (2026) · International Journal of Applied Glass Science · doi:10.1111/ijag.70060
Barón, C., Perpiñán, J., & Peña, B. (2026) · Renewable Energy · doi:10.1016/j.renene.2026.126348
Waste heat recovery from flue gas in glass furnaces: a review
Shrestha, B. K., Bortey, S.-P., Sadoughipour, N., Aprepary, P. A., Mohammadnazar, P., & Sojoudi, H. (2026) · Applied Thermal Engineering · doi:10.1016/j.applthermaleng.2026.132728
Electrifying European industrial heat: mapping of heat demand, technologies and applications
Gjorgievski, V. Z., Cundeva, S., Markovska, N., & Duić, N. (2026) · Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews · doi:10.1016/j.rser.2026.117541
Techno‑economic evaluation of flexible low‑carbon routes for glass melting
Striūgas, N., Lisauskas, A., & Petrauskas, G. (2026) · Energy Nexus · doi:10.1016/j.nexus.2026.100861
Decarbonizing oxy-fuel glass furnaces through multi-objective batch and energy planning
Arshad, H., Caccamo, C., Silva, T. L., & Cattaneo, E. (2026) · International Journal of Production Economics · doi:10.1016/j.ijpe.2026.110248
Optimisation-based Energy Management System for Industrial Glass Furnace DecarbonisationPreprint
Bruno, L., González-Iakl, E., Barettini, C., Cattaneo, E., Varlec, A., & Prieto‐Araujo, E. (2026) · SSRN Electronic Journal · doi:10.2139/ssrn.7665649
Papademetriou, A. (2026) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780198979616.003.0098
Metadata
- Authors
- Furszyfer Del Rio, D. D., Sovacool, B. K., Foley, A. M., Griffiths, S., Bazilian, M., Kim, J., & Rooney, D.
- Affiliations
- University of Sussex (GB)
- Queen's University Belfast (GB)
- Khalifa University of Science and Technology (AE)
- Colorado School of Mines (US)
- Hanyang University (KR)
- Corresponding author
- Sovacool, Benjamin K.
- Venue
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews
- Publisher
- Elsevier BV
- Published
- 2022-03
- Volume
- 155
- Pages
- 111885
- ISSN
- 1364-0321 (ISSN-L)
- OpenAlex
- W4200140650
- Cited by
- 171
- References
- 215
- Citations by year
- 2026: 40 · 2025: 48 · 2024: 33 · 2023: 39 · 2022: 11
- FWCI
- 4.06
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- green
- sro.sussex.ac.uk
- Licence
- Locations
- Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews (publishedVersion)
- Sussex Research Online (University of Sussex) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Figshare (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Research Explorer (The University of Manchester) (submittedVersion)
- Research Portal (Queen's University Belfast) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- Funders
- European Commission
- Queen's University Belfast
- Queen's University
- Interreg
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Economics, Econometrics and Finance › Economics and Econometrics › Climate Change Policy and Economics
- Physical Sciences › Energy › Renewable Energy, Sustainability and the Environment › Energy Efficiency and Management
- Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Environmental Engineering › Environmental Impact and Sustainability
- Keywords
- glassmaking, CO2 emissions, energy consumption, container glass, flat glass, life cycle sustainability, carbon abatement, socio-technical systems, climate policy options, barriers to decarbonization, raw material extraction, tailings ponds, waste disposal
About these checks
Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.
Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.
Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.
What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›
Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review
