Recycle Glass

As glass is endlessly recyclable, one of AGC’s main objectives is to use as much recycled flat glass (cullet) as possible in its production processes. Using larger quantities of cullet makes it possible to reduce direct CO₂ emissions since cullet requires less energy to melt and replaces higher-carbon emitting virgin raw materials.

These larger quantities of cullet are sourced by Recycle Glass, AGC's service for collecting flat glass waste from industry as well as from renovation and deconstruction projects (end-of-life glazing) for recycling in flat glass production. For end-of-life glazing, AGC works with a network of partners to handle logistics and to guarantee that the cullet is of sufficiently high quality for circular loop recycling.

Full service

AGC works with a network of partners, including a transporter, recycler, waste manager and deconstruction companies. For end-of-life glazing, the process is as follows:

• The window is removed from the facade and the frame is dismantled by the deconstruction company or the window installer. The glazing is collected in a dedicated skip/container provided by AGC’s partners.
• The skip/container is then transported to an authorised flat glass recycler, which processes the glazing in order to extract all cullet that meets the quality specifications for the production of flat glass.
• The cullet is transported to one of our closest flat glass production plants, where it is melted in the glass furnace. At our float plants even greater attention than usual is paid to ensuring and tracing the quality of all externally sourced cullet.
• AGC issues a certificate to the customer indicating how much was saved in terms of material resources and CO₂

Low-Carbon Glass and Recycle Glass are closely linked, since Recycle Glass supports the need for recycled materials in the production of Low-Carbon Glass.