Guardian Glass Europe has attained Bronze level Cradle to Cradle certification for float, coated and laminated glass products manufactured at eight of its European plants. The standard is a globally-recognised methodology used to constantly evaluate the sustainable attributes of products and a tool for the glass industry’s response to the circular economy challenge.

The standard evaluates products across five categories of human and environmental health and encourages continuous improvement over time by awarding certification on the basis of ascending levels of achievement and requiring certification renewal every two years.

Each certification level represents increasingly rigorous achievement across five critical performance categories:

· Material health – optimising the chemistry of the materials used in the design of products/buildings to minimise impact to human health and the environment.

· Material re-utilisation – design to eliminate the concept of ‘waste’ with intentional constituent cycles to retain the full value of the constituent.

· Renewable energy and carbon management – a future powered by renewable energy, where manufacturers positively impact energy supply, ecosystem balance and keep carbon in soil and vegetation.

· Water stewardship – treat water as a precious resource by encouraging effective management and use strategies.

· Social fairness – responsible business operations and ethics for all stakeholders, including the supply chain and the environment.

“This is a great achievement by Guardian Glass” Guus Boekhoudt, Vice President of Guardian Glass in Europe confirmed. “Over the past 12 months, eight of our European production plants and around 60 employees across more than 15 capabilities have been involved in the C2C certification process. Attaining bronze level certification validates Guardian’s ongoing commitment and investment as a global leader in the responsible manufacturing of sustainable glass products.”

www.guardian glass.com