Sustainability Report 2019 now online

Our contribution to the UN Sustainable Development Goals
This year’s edition includes a new chapter related to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) that were adopted by the United Nations in 2015. Among the 17 goals and 169 targets to be achieved by 2030, AGC Glass Europe has identified 10 environment-related goals and 18 targets where we play an active role through our processes and products. 

Energy recovery and electricity production: AGC started to install PV panels and heat recovery installations in 2009. Since then, electricity production has steadily increased to 26,957 MWh of recovered and self-generated energy in 2018. 

Air: On a comparable basis, per tonne of glass sold, Primary Operations has reduced its direct CO2 emissions by 17% since 2002. There has been a reduction of around 65% in the specific dust emissions since 1999.

Water: From 1998 to 2018, we have managed to reduce the water consumption by 74% on a comparable basis.

Solid waste: Today, the amount of solid waste produced by the Group is around 225,000 tonnes/year, of which around 96% is further recycled or recovered on site by our suppliers or contractors.

Transport: 71% of all raw materials is transported by ship or train, taking about 56,800 trucks per year off the road. In 2018, about 78,960 tonnes of finished glass products were transported in combined train and truck transport, taking about 3,950 trucks per year off the road. 

Packaging: Today most of the glass packaging is reusable. AGC Glass Europe achieves a very high level of packaging reuse. In Belgium 98% of the packaging is reused.

Recycling: AGC Glass Europe recycles around 1,000,000 tonnes of cullet per year, saving about 1,150,000 tonnes of raw material and 300,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions.

Cradle-to-Cradle* approach for sustainable products
AGC earned new Cradle to Cradle certifications for its patterned glass (March 2018) and recently for its fire-resistant glass (May 2019). C2C certifications were renewed for laminated glass (May 2018), the decorative glass range (August 2018) and insulated glass (January 2019). 
In addition, AGC Glass Europe launched its first lead-free mirror: Mirox 4Green. This high-quality product stands out for its use of lead-free paints and its high opacity, making it ideal for backlit applications. Mirox 4Green is ROHS** Directive compliant. AGC Glass Europe has also developed a new generation of double vacuum glazing with very high insulation performance. The new product, named Fineo, will combine thermal and acoustic insulation properties as good as or even better than triple glazing.