HNGIL bets big on decarbonisation technologies for the glass industry

With over seven decades of experience, the glass manufacturing major supplies to more than 23 counties through its plants located at Rishra, Bahadurgarh, Rishikesh, Neemrana, Sinnar, Naidupeta and Puducherry.

According to Kumar Krishnan, managing director, Hindusthan National Glass Industries (HNGIL), the Bahadurgarh unit is currently operating at approximately 35% capacity. The new management has committed to restoring all non-working furnaces and ramping up the facility to 100% capacity through furnace refurbishment, operational optimisation, and workforce engagement.

In February 2026, HNGIL successfully re-commissioned the glass furnace at its Puducherry plant. At the same time, the company commissioned two other furnaces one each in Rishra - West Bengal and Rishikesh - Uttarakhand. Rishra is set to have two additional furnaces that will start by the middle of 2026.

The Puducherry unit has a nominal furnace capacity of about 330 tonnes per day (TPD). It is expected to stabilise at approximately 270 TPD, and operating four production lines serves the southern beer, beverage, food, and pharmaceutical packaging markets.

Looking at India through the glass lens

Krishnan believes that India’s container glass sector is holding up better than many “traditional” industries because it sits right at the intersection of sustainability-led packaging shifts and fast-moving end-markets like spirits/beer, food, and pharma.

He says manufacturers are now investing in furnace modernisation, energy efficiency, automation, and decarbonisation technologies to remain competitive. However, he adds, “The industry remains energy-intensive, making margins sensitive to fuel and power costs. The recycling infrastructure for consistent cullet supply is still developing in India.”

Challenges and opportunities

Krishnan also believes that India’s glass industry is well-positioned for a circular economy because glass is infinitely recyclable and the country already has a strong scrap collection network, supported by high consumption in the alcohol sector.

However, implementation faces challenges such as poor source segregation, colour contamination, inconsistent cullet quality, logistics costs due to glass weight and low scrap value, and limited deposit-return systems.

“While recycling infrastructure exists, it is fragmented and informal, lacking traceability and quality standardisation. The key opportunity lies in formalising and digitising collection networks, building regional cullet processing hubs, leveraging AI-based sorting technologies,” says Krishnan.

He adds, “HNGIL will invest in light weighting of its container, work closely with its customers to improve recyclability and extend the life of containers.” With its experience in “narrow neck press and blow” (NNPB) technology over years, Krishnan believes the company senses a huge opportunity in the Indian market.

With its experience in “narrow neck press and blow” (NNPB) technology over years, Krishnan believes the company senses a huge opportunity in the Indian market

Regulatory acceleration towards circular economy

A positive push in terms of governmental policies and regulations play an important role in a transition towards a more circular glass industry in India. Krishnan concurs, “Clear, enforceable glass-specific EPR targets would compel brands to invest in collection infrastructure, while state-level deposit-return systems could improve clean, colour-segregated bottle recovery.”

He says that financial incentives such as capital subsidies for cullet processing plants, tax benefits for higher recycled content, and support for renewable energy use in furnaces would address the industry’s key economic constraints. Additionally, he says, formalising and digitising the informal scrap ecosystem would improve traceability and quality without disrupting existing networks.

The HNGIL way

According to the company, when it comes to meeting circular targets, the key measure currently is the % of external cullet used per tonne of glass produced. Krishnan adds, “Meeting circular targets in India’s glass industry is challenging due to structural issues rather than technological limitations.”

Poor source segregation and colour contamination reduce cullet quality, while the recycling ecosystem lacks standardisation and digital traceability needed for compliance reporting.

Another constraint, according to him, are logistics as glass scrap is heavy and low value, making transport to furnaces is costly. Limited deposit-return systems further reduce clean bottle recovery rates. Additionally, achieving higher recycled content requires capital investment in sorting and processing infrastructure, and HNGIL has to balance circular targets with strict quality and furnace reliability requirements.

The green hydrogen plant mission

Regulatory and ESG pressures are pushing the Indian glass industry to decarbonise its own manufacturing processes, with several players exploring clean-energy transitions. A notable example is the adoption of green hydrogen pilots in glass furnaces, particularly in float glass facilities, where hydrogen is being tested as a partial replacement for natural gas to reduce carbon emissions.

Krishnan shares, “Such initiatives align with India’s National Green Hydrogen Mission and corporate net-zero commitments. In addition to hydrogen blending, manufacturers are investing in electric boosting, waste heat recovery systems, renewable power sourcing, and higher cullet usage to lower furnace energy intensity.”