British Glass CEO Dave Dalton commended the glass industry for remaining resilient in the troubling events of the last year.
He believed that showcasing the industry’s achievements in spite of this year’s hardships would help advocate for a better, stronger industry.
He said: “I think it has been a very difficult time, not just with Covid, but more recently with what’s happening with the fuel crisis and organisations like ours have to spend a long time navigating those things. It adds a negative dimension, and it's our job to turn that round. […]
“We’re already a very innovative and capable industry. [We have] the ability to make that impact at a governmental level, a global level, to make sure that the great things that we do are seen and celebrated.”
Mr Dalton spoke at the Glass Focus Awards held in Liverpool, UK last week (see below).
He hoped that through events such as the awards, the industry’s achievements would be recognised and influence the government to make the necessary decisions to support the future of glass manufacturing.
He said that British Glass would continue to advocate for the industry also.
“It's been a very strange year. It's given a lot of opportunity to sort of soul search about what we're about. We look to a governmental situation that has been...I don't even have the words describe it […] But we soldier on.
“We, as an industry, are banned by certain constraints. We have to manufacture pretty much 24/7. We don't have the ability to switch things off and go home.”
Mr Dalton also highlighted the International Year of Glass (IYOG).
He thanked John Parker, Emeritus Professor of Glass Science and Engineering, who Mr Dalton described as “instrumental” in bringing the International Year of Glass home to the UK.
“It’s been a tremendous opportunity for the entire glass industry to take that position, global recognition, to project what we do, and I think this is the last throes of that.”
