No go without green

Glass Times editor Nathan Bushell argues that green is no longer a nice-to-have.

This week, we have collated news stories and articles with a distinctly green focus.

The effects of climate change, driven by the increased amounts of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere, are becoming more obvious with each passing year.

The built environment, either during the construction phase or in its lifetime, is a significant emitter of carbon dioxide (CO2), a key greenhouse gas. Therefore, the construction industry arguably has a moral duty to do everything in its power to make buildings greener. Despite that, government is preparing to publish the latest revisions to Part L of the Building Regulations (conservation of fuel and power), which will demand more efficient buildings, and will require suppliers of all component parts – including windows – to improve U-values and airtightness.

Furthermore, as climate change is pushed further up the news agenda, consumers will be scrutinising the green credentials of all products (including their manufacture), and so being eco-conscious should be a key strategy to win business.

The elephant in the room, to a large degree, has been the energy-hungry process for manufacturing glass. Yes, the process has become more efficient over the years, and yes, modern glass saves more energy during its lifetime than it takes to make it, but carbon-emitting float lines aren’t a good symbol for the industry. Which is why the latest news from Pilkington UK is a welcome revelation.

Pilkington recently manufactured architectural glass at its St Helens facility using hydrogen power, instead of natural gas, as part of a trial. The switch means that the float glass furnace – which accounts for the majority of the company’s overall carbon emissions – would be able to run with significantly lower emissions.

Pilkington Glass will no doubt be pleased with the trial’s success, but it is something that we should all be celebrating.