"In the 'International Year of Glass' declared by the United Nations, AGC put all its passion for glass as a material into improving its environmental impact. At the end of the year, we are taking a big step towards carbon neutrality by launching our CO2-reduced float glass 'Low-Carbon Planibel Clearlite'."
The glass products in this series produce over 40 per cent less CO2 than our standard float glass, from the extraction of their raw materials to their installation in buildings," says Davide Cappellino, Managing Director of AGC Architectural Glass Europe & Americas Company.
See also: New AGC sound insulation glass for facades and glass walls
The significant reduction in CO2 emissions was achieved through a detailed analysis and optimisation of all processes in the value chain. In addition to the direct CO2 emissions from the melting and manufacturing processes, this also includes the reduction of indirect emissions from upstream and downstream processes.
How AGC structures sustainability
For more sustainable manufacturing, AGC adopted a holistic approach with six core areas:
1. more sustainable raw material sourcing
2. use of highly efficient smelting furnaces
3. increasing the proportion of cullet in the batch (recycling rate)
4. increased use of renewable energy
5. optimised logistics between the sites for further processing (lamination, finishing)
6. Optimised transport routes for the end products
As a result, the new float glass produces less than 7 kg CO2 per square metre with a glass thickness of 4 mm. The first low-carbon Planibel Clearlite was produced at AGC's plant in Moustier, Belgium, and is now available from stock.
Start of production at the Seingbouse plant
Also in 2023, AGC's plant in Seingbouse, France, will begin production. With the launch, AGC's main functional glazings based on the new float glass will also be available:
- Safety glass: Low-Carbon Stratobel and Low-Carbon Stratophone
- Thermal insulation glass: Low-Carbon iplus 1.0 and Low-Carbon iplus 1.1
- Solar control glass: Low-Carbon Stopray and Low-Carbon Energy
AGC's developers say that the new products are identical to the group's conventional functional glass in terms of quality, aesthetics and technical values.
