Saint-Gobain UK hosts BEIS to discuss glass industry future

British Glass recently facilitated a visit with the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy to flat glass manufacturer Saint-Gobain UK. Eleven members of the BEIS team, including Deputy Director for Energy Intensive Industries Rory Wallace and Deputy Head of Energy Intensive Industries Carolyn Campbell visited the Eggborough site to gain an insight to the industry. They were joined by members of the British Glass environment team and Technical Director Nick Kirk and hosted by British Glass President and Managing Director of Saint-Gobain UK, Steve Severs.

Both British Glass and Saint-Gobain delivered presentations on the short- and long-term challenges facing the glass sector and held discussions with BEIS on the pressing issues for the industry surrounding energy prices, decarbonisation, carbon reporting and Brexit’s impact on environmental regulations. This visit gave Saint-Gobain UK direct access to government officials to explain their ambitions and raise their concerns for the future.

Commenting on the visit, Paul Pearcy, Environment, Health and Safety Advisor at British Glass said: “We’re delighted to provide opportunities such as this for BEIS to meet our members and get first-hand experience of the glass industry to help inform and shape future governmental policy. With the ongoing uncertainty surrounding the effect of Brexit, it’s important that the government understands the current pressing issues surrounding our industry.”

Managing Director of Saint-Gobain UK and British Glass President Steve Severs commented:

“Eggborough was delighted to host representatives of BEIS to actively demonstrate a modern, high performing plant, representing many of the positives of glass within the UK manufacturing scene. We were also pleased to take the opportunity to reinforce our message regarding the reality of the enormous impact of energy on our cost make–up and to underline how far out on its own the UK sits in relation to energy costs, particularly electricity, with its competitors in the EU and those further afield.”

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