Now online: AGC Sustainability Report 2017

AGC Glass Europe’s Sustainability Report is now online on http://www.agc-glass.eu/en/sustainability and covers the environmental achievements of the company, operating with 2 divisions (Building & Industrial Glass Division and Automotive Division). These achievements are the results of the continuous commitment of all the sites of AGC Glass Europe to more sustainable production operations and greener products and services!

At a glance : AGC’s environmental achievements and results

Energy production: The total output of the photovoltaic installations at the sites reached 6697 MWh in 2016. 

Air: On a comparable basis, per tonne of glass sold, AGC has reduced its direct CO2 emissions by 11% since 2002. There has been a reduction of around 45% in the specific dust emissions since 1998. 

Water: From 1998 to 2016, AGC has managed to reduce the water consumption by 71% on a comparable basis.
 
Solid waste: Today, the amount of solid waste produced by the Group is around 230,000 tonnes/year, of which around 98% is further recycled or recovered on site by the suppliers or contractors. 

Transport: 72% of all raw materials is transported by ship or train, taking about 54,500 trucks per year off the road. In 2016, about 88,000 tonnes of finished glass products were transported in combined train and truck transport, taking about 4,400 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.

AGC’s environmental footprint

AGC developed a holistic approach to fully assess its environmental footprint. Life Cycle Analysis, measurement of carbon footprint and the Cradle to Cradle CertifiedTM program for products are the 3 ways used to assess the group’s integrated environmental approach.

Cradle to Cradle certification: In 2016, AGC Glass Europe renewed its Cradle to Cradle certifications for float glass, magnetron-coated glass, glossy painted glass, matt painted glass, acid-etched glass, mirrors and laminated glass for two years under the new, more stringent version 3.1 of Cradle to Cradle.

In addition, AGC Glass Europe has successfully obtained, as the world's first and only glassmaker, Cradle to Cradle Certified Bronze for its insulating glass products in January 2017. AGC now offers the broadest portfolio of certified products at Silver and Bronze level. 

Carbon footprint: Calculating both emissions and savings leads to a final result of 1:10 (i.e. 3,400,000 tonnes of CO2 vs. 34,500,000 tonnes), meaning that for each tonne of CO2 emitted by AGC Glass Europe activities, nearly 10 tonnes of CO2 are saved thanks to the use of its products. The ratio and - on the basis of the same perimeter - the results have improved since 2009. 

Discover AGC’s Sustainability Report now on  http://www.agc-glass.eu/en/sustainability