Traditional company Doering Glass on the brink of extinction: 90 years of history shattered!

Traditional company Doering Glass on the brink of extinction: 90 years of history shattered!

Things are going haywire in the rapidly changing glass industry. A prominent example of this is Doering Glass, a traditional manufacturer from Radeburg, which is now forced to the sad end of its more than 90-year history. As the Wetterauer newspaper reports, the company will close its doors at the end of November 2025. After entering into legal restructuring proceedings at the Dresden District Court in May 2025, despite several interested parties, no solution could be found to save the company.

The difficult situation in the glass industry is characterized by a mix of high energy prices and massive supply chain problems. This is particularly painful. The Doering Glass pressing plants produce flat and insulating glass, but have now had to announce 120 layoffs. Fortunately, many employees have already found new jobs in the region.

Energy transition and its consequences

But it's not just Doering Glass that's fighting for survival. Glashütte Freital GmbH from Saxony is another example of how the industry is suffering from the pressure of the energy transition. The company, founded in 1802, filed for bankruptcy on February 26, 2025, and like Doering Glass, high energy costs and declining demand are the main causes. Talks about financing between management and banks have already failed, which makes the situation even more dramatic. Around 40 of the current 125 employees will be eliminated.

The glass industry is under great pressure from foreign manufacturers with cheap nuclear power. Many German small series manufacturers cannot keep up with the sharp price increases. In order to counter the drop in prices in the glass market, the management of the Freital glassworks is negotiating with Edeka about the production of glass packaging, but whether this will be successful remains questionable.

Price pressure and falling demand

An overall review of the industry also shows that the glass industry in Germany is fighting enormously for its foundation. How Food practice shows, there are significant declines in sales of container glass, especially beverage bottles, which fell by 15.5% in 2023. This situation is compounded by a general decline in consumption as consumers look for cheaper alternatives.

The reasons are varied: The production of glass is extremely energy-intensive and requires temperatures of up to 1,600 degrees Celsius. Up to 90 percent of the required energy requirements are covered by natural gas. Prices for natural gas have skyrocketed since Russia's war of aggression on Ukraine and currently reach around 40 euros per MWh for major customers - that is almost four times the price before the crisis.

A total of 12,009 corporate insolvencies were recorded in Germany in the first half of 2025, an increase of 12.2% compared to the previous year. The DIHK predicts more than 22,000 bankruptcies by the end of 2025, which underlines the precarious situation of many companies.

Glass production as we know it could soon be a thing of the past if solutions are not soon in sight. Things remain exciting in the industry, but also extremely challenging, as uncertainty about the future development of energy prices and market conditions adds to the economic climate.