Ciner Glass is among the founding members of Responsible Glass, a global certification programme designed to set new standards for the safe, low-carbon and transparent production and sourcing of glass.
The multi-stakeholder not-for-profit will work with the container glass sector, alongside flat glass manufacturers and specialty glass makers, to establish transparent and auditable standards for low-carbon glass production.
It also seeks to improve circularity, sourcing practices, and worker safety while lowering emissions and introducing a trusted certification mark for responsible sourcing and manufacturing.
A unified sustainability framework is hoped to help reduce the 95 million tonnes of CO2 emissions attributed to global glass production. Set to generate $90 billion (€77,072,400,000) in revenue, the initiative is backed by major car brands Volvo and Jaguar Land Rover.
Other founders and supporters include the non-profit Climate Group; coalitions like the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance and Alliance for Responsible Mining; furnace designer and builder Stara Glass; and consultancies like ERM CVS, ARUP, and DSS+.
“Driving social and environmental change in the glass industry requires an approach which values industry knowledge, social and environmental expertise, openness, trust and a forum where decisions are not only transparent but also equitable,” explains Francis Sullivan, chair of Responsible Glass and former head of sustainability at HSBC.
“This multi-stakeholder approach, tried and tested in the steel and forestry sectors, will be pivotal for driving this change.
“Our membership will be the driving force and the foundation for this initiative, and we’re so proud to have companies from across the glass supply chain who are with us today and already working with us to make this change happen.”
Alan Knight, chief sustainability officer for founding member WE Soda and former head of sustainability at Responsible Steel, continued: “Glass is a material that touches hundreds of industries. Only by engaging the entire value chain can we work collaboratively to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and address other critical sustainability challenges.
“We’ve seen how this approach can transform an industry. With Responsible Steel, robust standards and global collaboration have driven real progress on transparency and accountability. Now, we’re applying those lessons to glass and bringing together companies from across the world to accelerate innovation and develop new sustainability standards for glass production and sourcing.”
“We are very excited to join as a founding member of Responsible Glass,” adds Munehiro Hosonuma, CEO of fellow founder NSG Group. “This initiative represents a significant step toward global standards for responsibly produced glass, advancing sustainability and transparency in line with NSG Group’s long-term carbon neutrality commitment.”
Glass decarbonization took a front seat at this year’s Sustainable Packaging Summit, with Ardagh Glass Packaging receiving a trophy under the Commercialized Climate category at this year’s Sustainability Awards for its onsite hydrogen electrolyzer – said to have reduced the company’s glass bottle carbon emissions by over 14%.
A recent report from Packaging Europe also took stock of the glass industry’s progress towards net zero, both in the improvement of production processes and an increased push for circularity.
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