Pilkington UK has uncovered a new, industry-first recycling route for fire-rated glass, made possible through its renew:glass programme.
The glass manufacturer has worked with Fire Glass UK to unlock this major development for a product long considered non-recyclable. As it’s built with multiple layers, including gel interlayers, plastic pads and fire tapes, the material has historically been viewed as too complex to recycle without risking contamination in the float-glass bath.
Pilkington UK and Fire Glass UK joined forces to tackle the problem head-on. Together, the teams began a structured trial last year, working side by side to understand how fire glass could be collected and safely returned without compromising quality or production.
To make the process viable, teams at Fire Glass UK’s Manchester and Oldbury sites introduced strict, highly controlled contamination procedures, with operatives being trained to inspect every piece of material and remove non-glass elements.
This was a critical step in returning the glass, and with Pilkington UK offering site visits and technical guidance, the process was refined during the trial phase and successfully scaled up in April 2025.
Since the full operational roll-out began, Fire Glass UK has reportedly returned over 500 tonnes of processed fire-rated glass, delivering 356.09 tonnes of CO₂e savings.
Building on this success, Pilkington UK and Fire Glass UK are now exploring how post-consumer fire glass could be safely incorporated into the process in the future.
Adrian Parker, regional sales manager at Pilkington UK, said:
“This project demonstrates that the technical challenges associated with recycling fire-rated glass can be overcome through close collaboration and careful process control.
“renew:glass is designed to unlock new cullet streams, and working with Fire Glass UK has enabled us to prove that even highly specialised products can have a life beyond landfill.”
Sean Haynes, managing director at Fire Glass UK, added:
“Every day our teams handle large volumes of fire-rated glass off-cuts, with most of it destined for landfill. Being able to change that is a huge step forward for us. This project has required real attention to detail from our operatives, but they’ve embraced the challenge because they can see the difference their work makes. Partnering with Pilkington UK has given us a route to recycle a product that previously had none and that’s something we’re genuinely proud of.”
With the process now proven at scale, Pilkington UK and Fire Glass UK plan to extend the approach to the company’s remaining sites in Colchester, Edinburgh and Bristol over the next six months, enabling more fire-rated glass to be diverted from landfill and reintroduced into the circular economy.
Both organisations are also exploring whether similar methods could be applied to other specialist glass types and integrated more widely across NSG Group operations, helping unlock new recycling pathways across the sector.
