Updated: 7th of March 2024
As the UK’s leading glass manufacturer, we are committed to reducing our carbon footprint and the potential environmental impact of our glass products.
Glass is one of the few materials that are 100% recyclable and can be used over and over again. Despite these incredible properties, the UK currently only recycles 71% of its glass!
To help raise awareness for the positive impact of glass recycling on our planet, we have delved into our glass recycling practices to inspire other manufacturing and construction professionals to follow suit.
The importance of commercial glass manufacturing
Glass manufacturers have a responsibility to reduce glass waste to protect the environment and lessen the increasing demand for natural materials. Creating brand-new units of glass takes a considerable amount of energy, but this can be decreased by recycling and reusing unwanted glass.
While certain small glass items can be disposed of in glass bins or at a local waste management site, larger or bespoke glass products such as glazed windows or laminated glass must follow a different recycling process.
Saint-Gobain has created its ‘Glass Forever’ recycling scheme to create an easy way for manufacturers to recycle their cullet glass (crushed glass ready to be remelted). Through the scheme, Saint-Gobain removes unwanted cullet glass from your factory and processes it on-site into high-performance glass ready for a new lease of life.
At SGP, we are proudly involved in this scheme and donated an impressive amount of cullet glass last year:
- We returned a grand total of 1,365 bags (or 775 tonnes) of cullet glass
- On average, we recycled 82.6 bags (46.8 tonnes) of cullet glass every month
This glass recycling contribution prevented 542 tonnes of CO2 from polluting the atmosphere. In addition, by utilising the scheme, we help to save the same amount of energy needed to power a home for almost 400 years!
We would like to encourage other UK glass manufacturers, construction businesses or building professionals to also join this scheme, and we can work together to create a more sustainable world.
Enhancing your green efforts with household recycling
Your recycling efforts don’t have to stop at work; glass recycling at home can significantly benefit the environment too. Recycling just one bottle saves enough energy to power a television for one and a half hours!
When glass is recycled correctly at a local glass recycling centre, a five-step process will begin:
- Glass is mechanically sorted by colour
- Crushed and any contaminants are removed
- Mixed with raw materials to colour or enhance the properties
- Melted in a high-temperature furnace, ready to form
- Moulded or blown into new shapes, such as bottles or jars
It’s not just household items that can be made from recycled glass. If the glass still contains some contamination and is no longer suitable for food or drink use, it can be used for decoration or construction purposes, such as glass tiles, beading and worktops. It can even replace sand in concrete and pavements.
Overall, manufacturing new recycled glass products reduces CO2 emissions and energy usage. Every tonne of glass re-melted saves 246kg of carbon dioxide emissions and reduces the reliance on raw materials. Likewise, energy saved by glass recycling creates 20% less air pollution and 50% less waste pollution than making glass from scratch.
How SGP can support your next project
If you are looking to include glass in your next project, our advanced machinery and talented team can adapt your glass to meet your needs.
From custom curved glass, toughened structural units or jumbo glass, we will work to your project requirements and timelines to ensure you have the perfect pieces of glass, every time. Find out more about our machinery and capabilities here.
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