Parglass and Pavisa have formed a partnership to develop a greenfield glass facility in Paraguay.

The $75 million facility is set to open in the first quarter of 2026 and will produce glass from a 100% renewable electric source.

Sergio Cibils Baumann, Director of Parglass, said the plant will be the most sustainable glass container plant in the Americas with the lowest carbon footprint.

Its electrical energy will be supplied by hydropower.

Glass will be made using a 160t to 200 tonnes per day fully electric furnace supplied by Sorg (VSM).

Parglass has appointed French firm Chovet with the detailed engineering project.

Mr Cibils Baumann said: “Thanks to the 100% renewable electric source we have in Paraguay and the work we've been developing with our suppliers and partners, we are certain we will have a sustainable and green glass.”

The aim of the project is to reduce the number of glass bottles currently imported into Paraguay and to produce high-end bottles with added value.

The project is a partnership between Parglass, Pavisa and a local cement and construction company.

Pavisa Executive Director, Jorge Ivan Hernandez Uribe, said the appeal of the project for the Mexican manufacturer was its sustainability element.

“Glass will be made using 100% green energy with very low carbon emissions. It is an important investment not just for Pavisa but also for the region where we will create jobs and provide training to local people.

"We are ready and confident that we will bring a next generation glass to the industry”

Mr Cibils Baumann said: “Pavisa is our main partner in the project, they bring more than 70 years of expertise, know-how, technology capability and are experts in the art of glassmaking.

"Pavisa are huge for what they bring to the table and it has been a pleasure to begin working with their great team.”

Construction will start by January next year, with engineering plans already drafted and approved. Once on-stream, the facility will provide jobs for more than 150 people.

There are also plans to install a recycling operation in order to reuse cullet in the glass manufacturing process.