Environmental Impact Of Glass

On the face of it, the use of glass would appear to have quite a negative impact on the environment. While it's true the production of glass represents high embodied energy, it is what happens After production that pulls things around.

If we consider some of the numbers, the UK glass industry employs over 108,000 people, 3.3m tonnes of glass are produced annually and approximately one quarter of this is flat glazing and architectural products.

Although an energy-intensive industry, great strides have been made in energy reduction, for example flat glass producers have reduced energy usage to only 10% of what it was a century ago.

The main attribute that sets glass apart and makes it such a unique material, is that it can be recycled infinitely without any loss of quality or purity.

In addition, There are other ways in which glass use can help lower the UK’s carbon footprint:

- High Energy Rated Windows and insulation reduce energy bills and CO2, eg, low-E double glazing
saves 13kg CO2/sq metre of glazing each year.

- Using more solar glass panels could reduce CO2 emissions by 6.6% by 2020

Glass has a long and proud heritage, its adaptability and the advent of new technologies will ensure it continues to play a major role in our future.