The inauguration of Verallia Italia‘s new oxy-fuel furnace took place May 28 in Pescia, in the province of Pistoia, Tuscany. The event marks a tangible milestone in the industrial modernisation of the Tuscan site—in operation since 1976 and today among the most advanced in the Group—backed by an investment of approximately EUR 110 million, new jobs and a significant leap forward in environmental sustainability.
The event featured addresses from Verallia Group CEO Patrice Lucas, Verallia Italia CEO Marco Ravasi, Verallia Italia Industrial Director Andrea Maffei and the Director of the Verallia Pescia plant Mattia Papini, and local authorities.
The project will have a significant impact on local employment: the new furnace has enabled the recruitment of around one hundred people, with a tangible effect on the local area in terms of employment, inclusion and social cohesion. At the plant, 20 percent of staff are women, figures that align with Verallia Italia’s journey towards gender parity, certified under UNI/PdR 125:2022 since 2023.
HEATOX™ technology: a generational leap in glass melting
With the new furnace, Verallia Italia has adopted HeatOx™ technology from Air Liquide: an optimised oxy-fuel combustion solution that replaces the air fed into the furnace with oxygen, improving melting efficiency and reducing pollutant emissions. The residual heat is recovered to warm industrial spaces, eliminating the need for natural-gas boilers.
This is a tangible contribution to Verallia Group‘s Net Zero pathway, committed to a 90 percent reduction in scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2040, validated by SBTi and aligned with the Paris Agreement, delivering 12 percent less fossil fuel use and 7.8 kilotonnes of CO2 per year.
Verallia Italia uses on average 63.9 percent recycled glass (2025 Verallia Italia data, external cullet). Tuscany is a national benchmark with a 96.5 percent glass recycling rate, compared with Italy’s 80.3 percent, already well above the European target of 70 percent by 2030. Because for Verallia, sustainability also means building value for people and communities, bottle after bottle.
Verallia Italia for Made in Italy: serving food & beverage
The new furnace at Pescia is dedicated to producing flint glass: a strategic choice that allows a single plant to serve a broad range of markets: wine, oil, preserves, spirits and soft drinks, with varying shapes and formats.
With this investment, Verallia Italia reinforces its role as a strategic partner for Italian food & beverage producers who export Made in Italy products around the world. Glass is an integral part of the product and of its identity: it protects, enhances and communicates a brand’s quality.
“Developing the market for our customers and championing Made in Italy are at the heart of our strategy. The inauguration of the new furnace fits squarely within this approach: an investment designed to bring us even closer to our customers and to support the growth of the Italian food & beverage sector. This milestone represents not only an important industrial step, but also a moment of development for the entire Tuscan community. Made possible by a shared commitment, it helps to strengthen an increasingly sustainable production model and the role of glass in the development of a circular economy,” said Marco Ravasi, CEO of Verallia Italia.