SCHOTT Earns Corporate Environmental Achievement Award

The American Ceramic Society honored SCHOTT’s eco-friendly manufacturing processes for CERAN® and PYRAN® Platinum Glass-Ceramics      

SCHOTT recently won The American Ceramic Society’s Corporate Environmental Achievement Award for its sustainable manufacturing processes for SCHOTT CERAN® and PYRAN® Platinum glass-ceramics. Both products are produced without toxic heavy metals, and the PYRAN® Platinum product manufacturing process uses graywater and renewable energy to further support conservation efforts.

The American Ceramic Society (ACerS) established the Corporate Environmental Achievement Award in 1997 to recognize and honor a single outstanding environmental accomplishment in the field of ceramics by an ACerS corporate member. Winners have achieved a new process or product or made a significant improvement to an existing process or product in order to reduce undesirable effluent streams, expand recycling of materials, or attain measurable environmental benefits over previously established processes.

“SCHOTT strives to meet the highest standards for sustainability and demonstrates that commitment through our innovative manufacturing processes,” said Greg Wolters, President of SCHOTT North America. “Our high-quality, eco-friendly glass-ceramics have kept an estimated 1,000 tons of harmful chemicals from entering the environment and have raised the bar for efficient use of energy and water in glass manufacturing. This award only renews our focus on building a more sustainable product for consumers.”

The manufacturing process for SCHOTT CERAN® glass-ceramic cooktop panels keeps more than 100 tons of the environmentally harmful heavy metals arsenic and antimony from entering the environment each year. This reduction helps greatly diminish the need for mining and transportation of these unsafe materials, which can harm communities through toxic runoff into the ground or water supply. In addition, SCHOTT CERAN® is primarily composed of natural raw materials, like quartz sand, that are virtually inexhaustible.

The manufacturing process that reduces CERAN® glass-ceramic’s environmental impact is also used for PYRAN® Platinum fire-rated glazing material made from a transparent glass-ceramic. In addition, the manufacturing process for PYRAN® Platinum uses graywater from a nearby river for 90 percent of the total water needed for the manufacturing site, and runs on 5.7 percent renewable energy, including solar energy generated on site that’s fed into the grid. In 2010, this manufacturing process for the PYRAN® Platinum glass-ceramic won the product Cradle-to-Cradle Silver certification by McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry (MBDC), and its use counts toward a LEED point.

“The Corporate Environmental Achievement Award serves as a benchmark for companies pushing the boundaries of eco-friendly products and processes in the field of ceramics,” said Dr. Richard Brow, President of The American Ceramic Society. “We unanimously selected SCHOTT based on its significant contributions to the international glass industry through the eco-friendly manufacturing of innovative products that protect our natural resources. By recognizing the environmental achievements of our members, we aim to encourage more efficient manufacturing that preserves resources, protects health, and ushers in a sustainable future.”

For more information on CERAN® and PYRAN® Platinum products, please visit us.schott.com.