Philippe Bastien, Chairman of Glass for Europe, spoke at the International Year of Glass (IYOG) Opening Ceremony at the Palace of Nations in Geneva, Switzerland.
His speech detailed glass production from 1990 to 2050, from the evolution of the flat glass industry over the last 30 years to a future where responsibility and innovation will fuel sustainability challenges.
Flat glass is vital to the energy performance, safety, security and comfort of buildings and cars, as well as producing solar energy.
Mr Bastien said: “Today, flat glass is on track when it comes to sustainability and we have tomorrow’s solutions ready too. No other material provides such transparency, energy-efficiency, safety and durability at an affordable cost in the construction industry.”
The flat glass sector is already providing net carbon-avoidance products and is investigating ways to scale up its contributions to the EU’s climate neutrality objective, including lowering its industrial emissions.
Mr Bastien continued: “We want to go much further and faster in slashing CO2 emissions as much as possible from flat glass manufacturing. Many of our Glass for Europe member companies have taken very ambitious commitments.”
The transition to a more sustainable and resilient industry in a climate-neutral future will require radical transformations.
Mr Bastien called on stakeholders of the flat glass ecosystem to join the work of Glass for Europe to construct the future of this industry together.
