Chamber of Commerce and Industry Management in HRASTNIK1860: Hybrid Furnace in the Spotlight
Hrastnik, 23 May 2025 – The top management of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Slovenia visited HRASTNIK1860, a member of the Vaider Group, to see one of the most important sustainable projects in the Slovenian industry firsthand – the Hybrid Regenerative Glass Furnace (BEAR project). The European Innovation Fund partly finances the project and sets new standards in the field of decarbonisation of the energy-intensive glass industry.
During the visit, representatives of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, including Chief Executive Officer Mitja Gorenšček and the CEOs and Directors of the regional Chambers of Commerce and Industry, observed the operation of the hybrid furnace, which uses clean electricity to melt glass instead of fossil fuels. The technology reduces more than 50% of natural gas consumption compared to the best available technologies, which will save more than 100,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions over the next decade.
»The BEAR project is an outstanding example of how traditional glassmaking can become the foundation for a future that combines quality, innovation and care for the environment through sustainable technologies,« said MSc Peter Čas, CEO of the Vaider Group.
The visit confirmed the strategic importance of the BEAR project both for the Slovenian economy and for the wider European industry. The directors of the regional chambers and the management of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry expressed their support for further investment in green breakthrough technologies and underlined the importance of cooperation between industry, research institutions, the state and the European Union.
The Vaider Group’s strategy for a bright future also includes investment in key initiatives, such as the BEAR project – the main focus of the visit. From 2019 to 2024, Steklarna Hrastnik invested €90,283,000 in innovative technologies, production modernisation and sustainability, and these efforts are continuing this year. The combined investments of the two glassworks in the Vaider Group (Steklarna Hrastnik and Srpska Fabrika Stakla) during the period 2019–2024 exceed €127 million, underscoring the Group’s strong commitment to development, technological modernisation, increased efficiency and enhanced customer experience for our business partners.