Veka Recycling and Saint-Gobain unveil recycling partnership

Veka Recycling has announced a partnership with Saint-Gobain. According to Veka Recycling, the move will allow the business to move closer towards its mission of creating a closed-loop recycling system within the UK.

With regular, reliable collection schedules within 100 miles of Veka Recycling, the collaboration allows Wellingborough-based Veka Recycling to take fully glazed frames, eliminating the need to deglaze on-site and offering a cost-effective, environmentally friendly solution for glass waste disposal.

Central to this is the deployment of Saint-Gobain’s patented ICG recycling machine, which is designed to separate annealed and toughened glass from spacer bars. The glass can then be processed and reintroduced directly into float glass production, offering a higher recovery rate and improving the sustainability of the supply chain.

The process enhances resource recovery rates while reducing the need for raw material extraction, reportedly lowering energy consumption by 30% and cutting CO2 emissions across the supply chain.

Tim Taylor, commercial director at Veka, said: “This marks a monumental step on our journey towards creating a circular economy within the UK. For the fenestration industry, ensuring that materials can be collected, recycled and then manufactured into new products without needing to leave the country is instrumental in meeting sustainability goals.

“By combining our infrastructure with Saint-Gobain’s innovative glass recycling technology, we are confident that we can overcome current challenges to significantly increase the rate of post-consumer glass recovery in the UK.”

Michael Butterick, marketing director at Saint-Gobain Glass, said: “We are thrilled to be partnering with Veka Recycling to offer a solution for post-consumer glass recycling. The potential of this initiative is vast – by addressing the current gap in infrastructure and leveraging key partnerships, we can achieve our sustainability goals.”

Veka’s Recycling’s facility in Wellingborough has had a £15m investment, enhancing its capacity and efficiency. In 2024, Veka Recycling and Veka were brought under one board, aligning the two businesses under this shared goal.

Tim added: “This significant partnership marks another crucial step toward building a greener future – reducing the use of raw materials, lowering energy consumption, and significantly cutting CO2 emissions across the supply chain.”