The glass with low carbon emissions

Transparency and resistance, lightness and safety: these are just some of the many technical and aesthetic qualities of glass, increasingly at the center of contemporary architectural projects. It is one of the materials that symbolises a revolution that has involved the entire industrial world and definitively transformed the way we live. Glass is a solid, consistent material and has the amazing ability to age well, or rather not age at all, unlike concrete and plastic, which are ill-suited to the passage of time. AGC Glass Europe, a leading international glass manufacturing group, is working to implement another feature that is fundamental in the 21st century: environmental sustainability. In line with the roadmap towards carbon neutrality, AGC Glass Europe presented its new Low-Carbon Glass range, characterised by a significantly reduced carbon footprint. 

"In 2022 - the United Nations International Year of Glass - AGC has turned the spotlight on this noble material. Over the course of the year, we have taken a big step towards carbon neutrality, and we are pleased to end 2022 with the launch of the new Low-Carbon Glass range that offers our customers a product that, from raw material extraction to final installation, generates more than 40 per cent less CO2 than our standard glass,' says Davide Cappellino, President of AGC Architectural Glass Europe & Americas Company. This leap forward was made possible thanks to a careful examination of each stage of the production process. AGC's holistic approach towards sustainable production of Low-Carbon Glass includes six key areas: sustainable sourcing of raw materials, use of high-efficiency melting furnaces, increased use of scrap (recycled glass), use of green energy sources, optimisation of transport between plants for finishing processes (lamination, coating), and optimisation of transport of finished products.

Low-Carbon Planibel Clearlite, the low-carbon float glass has a carbon footprint of just 7 kg CO2 per m² (4 mm thickness). The new range is produced at the AGC factory in Moustier, Belgium, and from the coming months will also be manufactured at the AGC factory in Seignbouse, France. The new Low-Carbon Glass products offer the same aesthetic, quality and technical performance as AGC's traditional float glass products.