Glass Express Midlands’ managing director, Arun Photay, reflects on how the company’s mission to deliver energy‑saving IGUs is matched by its commitment to reducing carbon emissions in its own operations.

When I talk about glass, I don’t just talk about aesthetics or performance: I talk about responsibility.

The built environment is one of the UK’s biggest emitters of greenhouse gases, accounting for around a quarter of total emissions. 23% comes from the way buildings are used – heating, cooling, lighting – while a further 17% comes from embodied carbon: the emissions tied to the materials and construction process.

So, you can see why those of us who make building products have to take this seriously.

Glass has extraordinary potential to drive change. Every IGU we produce has the power to improve thermal efficiency, reduce wasted energy and cut bills.

But here’s the truth: it’s not enough to manufacture products that just perform sustainably. We also need to produce them in a way that reflects those same values. If our factories aren’t efficient, then we’re only doing half the job.

That’s why at Glass Express Midlands, we’ve made calculated choices when upgrading our machinery and operations; it’s not just about improving performance, it’s also about improving our own carbon footprint.

Take for example our brand-new CMS Aura arrisser, supplied and installed by Lamberts. The Aura uses 73% less electricity than the arrisser it replaced, but it also raises the bar for quality. Its advanced control systems deliver greater edge precision, reduced micro-fractures, and improved consistency across every unit. For our customers, that translates into fewer reworks, stronger durability, and IGUs that perform exactly as designed.

In other words, we’re producing a superior product while consuming a fraction of the energy. That’s progress in every sense.

But machinery alone doesn’t make you sustainable: we continue to make calculated switches. We’ve invested in electric company cars, reducing our emissions on the road. We’ve also installed LED lighting throughout our Oldbury site, lowering our energy consumption every single day. And through the Guardian cullet scheme, we’re sending hundreds of tonnes of offcut glass back into the recycling stream instead of landfill – avoiding the embodied emissions of producing new raw material.

These aren’t token gestures. They’re part of our bigger philosophy: sustainability has to run through every decision we make. With energy prices volatile and climate targets becoming law, the time for half-measures is over. If you’re not modernising, if you’re not improving your efficiency, then you’re falling behind.

I’m passionate about this because I see it as the future of our industry. The UK has legally committed to a 78% cut in emissions by 2035 and to becoming Net Zero by 2050. That’s not just a government ambition – it’s a call to action for every manufacturer, every contractor, every business in the supply chain.

When I walk through our factory now, I don’t just see glass being made, I see progress, responsibility and proof that manufacturing smarter is possible – and profitable. We’re not just producing IGUs that help buildings waste less energy; we’re making them in a way that wastes less energy too.