Hexagon Ragasco delivers LPG cylinders with environmental and humanitarian benefits

Liquefied petroleum gas (LPG) has traditionally been delivered in steel cylinders, which still dominate the global market.

Composite cylinders are the new generation for LPG containment. Hexagon Ragasco delivers its product to some 100 countries on five continents, converting more and more users worldwide.

Hexagon Ragasco’s LPG cylinders are manufactured of fibreglass-reinforced composite material and use far less raw material than steel cylinders. They are significantly lighter to carry and handle, reducing logistics costs as well as transport emissions, and providing better ergonomics for users.

Hexagon Ragasco’s composite LPG cylinders are among the safest LPG cylinders on the market. In the event of fire, the composite material shields the gas from the heat, preventing a boiling liquid expanding vapour explosion (BLEVE) common in steel cylinders.

The cylinders are rust-free, eliminating the need for costly and environmentally unfriendly refurbishment over time. They are also highly durable, with a proven lifetime of more than 20 years.

“Through research and development, we constantly work on increasing the lifetime of our cylinders and improving their carbon footprint throughout their value chain,” Skattum points out.

Hexagon Ragasco’s composite LPG cylinders are fully functional with both conventional and Bio-LPG. The cylinder has been awarded an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD), which fully documents its environmental impact in the product stage. The company produces its LPG composite cylinders in a fully automated, state-of-the-art production plant in Norway. The plant is ISO 50001 certified for energy efficiency, and the company is ISO 14001 certified for integrated waste management and environmental management.

In addition to its environmental focus, Hexagon Ragasco is dedicated to social sustainability as well. About one-third of the global population has no access to clean cooking fuel. Instead, people rely on coal, wood, kerosene or animal and crop waste, burned in open fires or in inefficient stoves that release health-damaging pollutants.

“LPG produces less CO₂ than coal, heating oil or petrol. It emits virtually no black carbon or other particulates and is as clean as natural gas. Use of LPG will dramatically improve the lives of low-income people around the world, especially in developing countries” says Skattum.

“This is an ethical issue,” she continues. “While Europe is aiming to phase out LPG, developing countries need to shift to LPG to reduce energy poverty. Renewable energy for cooking is not easily available in these countries, and LPG is the best transition fuel for clean cooking.”

The gas cylinder market is expected to reach USD 1 billion by 2031, due in part to the demand for LPG in developing countries.

“Since 2000, we have sold 20 million of the 2 billion LPG cylinders currently on the world market, which gives us a global market share of 1 per cent. We are already the global leader in composite gas cylinders, but the sustainability-driven demand for our product indicates a huge potential for continued global growth,” says Skattum.

Hexagon Ragasco has customers in close to 100 countries and many of its growing markets are in countries outside of Europe.