Network Space has submitted a planning application to St Helens Borough Council for £54million glass research and innovation facility.

Developed for Glass Futures Ltd, the proposed 160,000 sq ft Centre of Excellence will be the world’s first openly accessible, multi-disciplinary experimental glass melting facility for research and development trials.

The facility will be used to deliver industry and government backed R&D projects aimed at reducing the carbon footprint of glass production and will provide a platform for industry to test and trial their own ideas, both collaboratively and individually.

An aspirational mission to create the world’s most sustainable glass bottle has been lauded an incredible success by the industry, following initial results from a ground-breaking trial.

A revolutionary project undertaken by glass container manufacturer Encirc and industry research and technology organisation, Glass Futures, has proven that bottles can be made from 100% recycled glass, using only the energy from burning ultra-low carbon biofuels.

It is thought that the initiative will pave the way for an industry-wide reduction in carbon emissions, as the glass sector moves away from fossil fuels and towards low carbon alternatives.

On 17 March British Glass will host the first annual UK Glass Recycling Summit. The event will be held virtually and bring together the entire glass supply chain – from glass container manufactures, brands, retail, local authorities, recyclers, government and more.

The focus of the event is to launch a collaborative effort to continue to drive up glass recycling rates.

British Glass are  the UK platform lead for the European level glass industry led project ‘Close the Glass Loop’ that aims to achieve a 90% glass collected for recycling rate by 2030. The summit will launch the UK’s ambition to achieve this target and we are encouraging businesses and organisations across the supply chain to commit to supporting British Glass in achieving this ambitious target.

Stoelzle Glass Group is now one of 10 companies participating in the research association International Partners in Glass Research. Based in Aachen, Germany, IPGR maintains a clear focus on increasing and maintaining the competitiveness of glass in the packaging industry via research and development.

Sustainability has been a major issue to Stoelzle for several years and significant investments have been made in R&D, technologies and processes throughout all production and decoration sites, in order to achieve important targets in the field of energy reduction and to boost eco-friendly processes and technologies. Therefore, joining IPGR was recognised as an important step in Stoelzle’s sustainability roadmap.

NSG Group has received a Climate Change A- leadership rating from CDP for recognition of its climate change actions and information disclosure.

Since 2011, NSG Group has participated in annual CDP climate change and water reporting.

This year, the group’s CDP climate change 2020 score improved from the previous B management rating to an A- leadership rating.

This score improvement recognises NSG’s climate change actions and commitment to transparency.

The group will continue its ongoing efforts to achieve its 2030 Science Based Targets (SBT) to reduce CO2 emission by 21% compared to the 2018 level.

www.nsg.com

SGD Pharma has been awarded a platinum rating by EcoVadis, positioning it in the top 1% of companies rated worldwide.

This highlights the pharmaceutical glassware specialist’s commitment to sustainable practices and corporate responsibility.

In-line with the company’s core values of prioritising ethical standards and sustainability, SGD conducted several initiatives and actions in 2020 that have been recognised.

For example, a series of advanced emissions calculations are conducted, including the business’s carbon footprint. By 2025, it is planned to reduce CO2 emissions per ton of goods produced by 5%.

The European window and door eco-system represented by EuroWindoor, ARGE, European Aluminium, EPPA, ES-S and Glass for Europe have joined forces to call on national governments to put window replacement at the core of national resilience and recovery plans.

Developing effective plans to replace inefficient windows is a key element of a sustainable and green recovery.

Window replacement allows long lasting energy savings to be generated and move towards climate neutrality, while making a noticeable difference in people’s quality of life and supporting the recovery of a crucial sector of the EU economy.

International Cookware, licensee of the Pyrex trademark, has completed its acquisition of Duralex International.

This takeover confirms a coherent and complementary approach adopted by the two brands in French glassmaking expertise, creating a powerhouse with global ambitions, based on strong synergies between the two companies and their respective industrial sites.

The two have complementary and convergent expertise, product ranges, brand images and geographic locations (Châteauroux in Indre for Pyrex and Chapelle-Saint-Mesmin in Loiret for Duralex, both in the Centre Val de Loire region).

www.duralex.com

Ardagh Group, Glass North America has renewed its contract with Waterloo Container as its preferred wine bottle distributor to service wineries in the eastern half of the USA and Canada.

This agreement marks 30 years of Ardagh and Waterloo Container supporting the North American wine marketplace, providing a one-stop shop for wineries to purchase locally made glass packaging.  

The strategic partnership leverages Ardagh’s 125 years of wine industry knowledge and proven track record as the largest producer of glass wine bottles made 100% in the US, with Waterloo Container’s 40 years of experience and dedication to the growth of the wine industry in the eastern USA and Canada.

www.ardaghgroup.com