AGC Glass Europe Releases 2018 Sustainability Report

The report highlights the company’s commitment to improve sustainability in all facets of the business. The Sustainability Report is now online and covers the environmental achievements of AGC Glass Europe, operating with 2 divisions (Building & Industrial Glass Division and Automotive Division). These achievements are the results of the continuous commitment of all the sites of AGC Glass Europe to more sustainable production operations and greener products and services. 

AGC achievements at a glance

	Energy production: The total output of our photovoltaic installations at our sites reached 8,875 MWh in 2017.
	Air: On a comparable basis, per tonne of glass sold, Primary Operations has reduced its direct CO2 emissions by 11% since 2002. There has been a reduction of around 64% in the specific dust emissions since 1999.
	Water: From 1998 to 2017, we have managed to reduce the water consumption by 73% on a comparable basis.
	Solid waste: Today, the amount of solid waste produced by the Group is around 240,000 tonnes/year, of which around 98% is further recycled or recovered on site by our suppliers or contractors.
	Transport: 73% of all raw materials is transported by ship or train, taking about 51,100 trucks per year off the road. In 2017, about 127,400 tonnes of finished glass products were transported in combined train and truck transport, taking about 6,370 trucks per year off the road.
	Packaging: Today most of the glass packaging is reusable. AGC Glass Europe achieves a very high level of packaging reuse. In Belgium 98% of the packaging is reused.
	Recycling: AGC Glass Europe recycles around 1,000,000 tonnes of cullet per year, saving about 1,150,000 tonnes of raw material and 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

“Today more than ever we have a responsibility to ensure that future generations inherit a world that is developing in a sustainable way,” said CEO AGC Glass Europe Jean-Marc Meunier. “Especially on the issue of climate change, society knows that what we do today affects tomorrow, and that all should take their responsibility now. I am glad of this opportunity to show that AGC Glass Europe is taking this responsibility seriously. We have turned it into a challenge: a challenge to achieve the best balance between sustainable development and economy, by combining improvements in terms of profitability, comfort and safety, aesthetics and environmental impact.”

Cradle-to-Cradle approach for sustainable products

As of January this year, AGC Glass Europe is the first glass manufacturer to have received Cradle to Cradle certified^TM* Gold for its range of patterned glass. In this latest accomplishment of a certification process begun in 2010, AGC is the only manufacturer to offer such a wide portfolio of products under the Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM Products Program with no fewer than 6 product ranges now being certified: float glass, magnetron-coated glass, decorative glass (painted glass, acid-etched glass, mirrors), laminated glass, insulating glass and patterned glass.

The Cradle-to-Cradle Certified^TM products programme is an approach which evaluates a product’s overall sustainability across its entire life cycle. It expands the definition of design quality to include positive effects on economic, ecological and social health.

(*) Cradle to Cradle Certified^TM is a certification mark licensed by the Cradle to Cradle Products Innovation Institute.

Read the 2018 full sustainability report here

News via AGC Glass Europe