On 6 December 2023, the Intergovernmental Committee for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage, meeting in Kasane (Botswana), decided to add knowledge, craft and skills of handmade glass production to the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity list. This application, coordinated by the French Ministry of Culture, was jointly nominated with the Czech Republic, Finland, Germany, Hungary and Spain. Handmade glass production has certain specificities across the submitting states, but there are many common traits and steps in the production process.

Dr. Peter Green of University of Liverpool has won the award for Best Transforming Foundation Industries Network+ (TFIN+) project for 'Improved energy efficiency of float glass production' in collaboration with NSG Group. The award was sponsored by IOM3 (Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining) and presented by David Arthur FIMMM.

Glass container manufacturer Arglass has completed a buyout of previous majority stakeholder Yamamura, restoring full ownership of the company to its founders. Japan-based Yamamura has sold 100% of its shares back to Arglass, a move that allows Yamamura to refocus on business efforts in its home country.

Founder, Chairman and CEO José de Diego Arozamena will remain in place along with his entire leadership team. Arglass will cease using the Yamamura name.

Dr. Li Shenhua, Chairman and Founder of Huaxing Glass, was finally honoured with the 2020 Phoenix Award last month. Dr. Li's recognition marked the 50th award bestowed by the Phoenix Award Committee (PAC), making it particularly significant. Unfortunately, due to global COVID travel restrictions, the PAC had been unable to present him with the award earlier.

To rectify this, PAC members travelled to Xiamen, China, to have Kevin Lievre the 2020 PAC Chair personally present the Phoenix Glass Bird (crafted from Steuben glass) to Dr. Li.

The award ceremony took place at a banquet held in the exquisite Waldorf Astoria in the Xiamen Peninsula coastal area.

Vidrala has announced the acquisition of the entire share capital of Vidroporto for €384 million at current exchange rates. This figure includes the minority stake acquired at the beginning of the year, the remaining majority stake acquired now and the debt assumed in the Brazilian company.

Orora today announced that it has completed the acquisition of Saverglass, with the premium global glass business now formally part of the Orora Group.

As a leading manufacturer and distributor of sustainable, innovative packaging and visual solutions for customers across the world, the acquisition marks a significant milestone for both organisations, establishing Orora as a truly global company of scale in attractive premium beverage segments.

Orora Group’s Managing Director and CEO Brian Lowe said, “We are extremely pleased to announce the completion of the acquisition of Saverglass. This further strengthens our existing business, and I look forward to working with the Saverglass team, led by CEO Jean-Marc Arrambourg, as we embark on this journey together.”

Manufacturer of glass packaging Vetropack Straža has joined the operation of the KOER virtual power plant, which will actively contribute to the stability of the Croatian power system. This cooperation is additional support for the system for connecting new capacities of renewable energy sources and the transition to more sustainable energy production and consumption.

Glass recycling company Recresco, has been awarded a bronze medal by globally recognised assessment platform EcoVadis. This recognises an organisation's commitment to sustainable practices and provides a strong endorsement of the company’s sustainability journey.

The process of achieving EcoVadis medals involves an assessment of sustainability management within the business and examines key information about business practices and those of existing and potential supply chain partners. Assessment rates sustainability based on four key categories: environmental impact, labour and human rights standards, ethics and procurement practices. A Bronze medal places Recresco in the top 50%.

Guardian Glass and Kuraray have partnered to obtain a Document Technique d’Application (DTA) for the compatibility of SunGuard High Durable (HD) coatings (coating against interlayer) and SentryGlas Xtra interlayer material. This combination offers architects and façade consultants a new opportunity to design a building envelope with high strength and energy performance.

Laminated Guardian SunGuard HD glass with SentryGlas Xtra interlayer is particularly suitable for monolithic applications such as the outer envelope of double skin facades, canopies or atriums, as well as applications that require high resistance to mechanical and/or wind loads. The DTA validates all glass compositions where SentryGlas Xtra is in direct contact with Guardian SunGuard HD coatings.