Sustainability holds great opportunities for the glass industry

08/30/2024 | Print view

Danilo Pirotta, Managing Director of the SIGAB welcoming the guests. - © Matthias Rehberger / GW — © Matthias Rehberger / GW

Danilo Pirotta, Managing Director of the SIGAB welcoming the guests.

The 3rd SIGAB Glass Event, which took place at the impressive Quai Zurich Campus, brought together leading experts from the Swiss and international glass industry, many of them from Germany, on 29 August 2024. Around 100 visitors came to find out about the latest developments and trends in glass construction. The facade of the venue, which was explained in detail, was also exciting.

The Quai Zurich Campus, an ultra-modern yet listed building on Mythenquai in Zurich, provided the perfect backdrop for this dialogue. With its exciting prismatic glass facade and the use of state-of-the-art energy efficiency technologies, the campus represents a pioneering example of a future-oriented building that meets the highest ecological architectural standards. The Leed, Minergie-P-ECO and Well-Platinum certifications are clear proof of this.

European Green Deal will drive the glass industry forward

Bertrand Cazes, General Secretary of Glass for Europe.

A key topic at this year's Glass Meeting was the presentation by Bertrand Cazes, Secretary General of Glass for Europe. Cazes emphasised the immense importance of the European Green Deal for the glass industry.

The Green Deal aims to achieve the EU's climate targets and make Europe climate-neutral by 2050. According to Bertrand Cazes, this will have a significant impact on the glass industry. The need to reduce CO₂ emissions and promote energy efficiency will be decisive factors for the success of glass products in the future.

To achieve this goal, the key principles of European climate policy include

Every industrial sector is called upon to significantly reduce its emissions in order to achieve the climate targets. The focus is on energy efficiency, both in production and in end consumption. The polluter pays principle is applied to industry, i.e. companies that emit CO₂ must take responsibility for this and take appropriate measures.

Investment in sustainable technologies and infrastructure will be promoted to support the transition to a low-carbon economy. Glass companies that take appropriate measures can also benefit from this.

CO₂ savings through energy-efficient glass

Bertrand Cazes emphasised the importance of energy-efficient glass products for climate protection. He explained that the CO₂ released during the production of a highly efficient double insulating glass pane is offset within 6 to 20 months due to the energy savings achieved. This property makes energy-efficient glass an important building block in achieving climate targets.

However, Bertrand Cazes also pointed out that the production of glass without CO₂ emissions is possible, but is currently still very costly. Further technical innovations and patience are needed to achieve the complete decarbonisation of the glass industry.

Current research at the TU Darmstadt

Another exciting contribution came from Dr Miriam Schuster, who works at the Glass Competence Centre at the Technical University of Darmstadt. She presented current research topics relating to glass products and glass construction. Schuster emphasised that a deep understanding of a product is crucial in order to be able to use and evaluate it optimally.

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One focus of her research is on the development and application of non-destructive testing methods that make it possible to better assess the service life and sustainability of glass products. These tests are particularly important as they check the integrity and performance of glass products without damaging them. This in turn helps to significantly reduce costs for glass companies, as there is no need to create and destroy expensive, complex test specimens.

Daylight and its impact on health

Prof Dr Marilyne Andersen from the École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne (EPFL) addressed the topic of daylight and its importance for human well-being.

Networking was an important part of the SIGAB Glass Meeting.

The right amount of daylight is crucial for the well-being of people in buildings. Glass products must therefore be designed in such a way that they allow the optimum amount of light to enter without compromising comfort.

Andersen highlighted that daylight offers a much higher quality than artificial light and should therefore be favoured to maximise the wellbeing of occupants in buildings.

New glass construction developments

Dr Vlad Silvestru from ETH Zurich presented innovative concepts for toughened glass beams and the thermal treatment of aged glass. Among other things, his research is investigating how old glass from demolished buildings can be made fit again. Tests are being carried out to make old glass panels usable again through thermal treatment and other techniques.

This could make an important contribution to reducing waste and conserving resources. However, the question arises as to whether the financial outlay is worthwhile, and this must be recalculated in each case.

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Manuel Boerwanger from BIFF AG in Lausanne spoke about the integration of photovoltaic glass into facades to make buildings even more energy efficient by integrating solar energy directly into the building envelope. Although the initial costs are high, the investment pays off after around 8 to 10 years, especially if many devices in the building are operated with solar power.

The third SIGAB Glass Meeting in Zurich was an all-round successful event.

Matthias Rehberger