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Scaleable solutions to Remake Architectural Glass
Vast quantities of post-consumer glass from commercial buildings are still lost to landfill due to contamination, logistics, and cost barriers. This session shares key lessons from implementing a new, scalable pathway to recover end-of-life architectural glass and return it to new building products. Through strategic partnerships with clients, upskilling the deconstruction supply chain, and stewarding recovered material, Saint-Gobain has developed a cost- and time-effective closed-loop solution.
This initiative is called Glass Forever, illustrated in a six-step circular flow:
- Diagnosis – Classification of glass types prior to dismantling.
- Dismantling – Controlled breaking of glass to prevent contamination.
- Sorting – Identification of acceptable cullet types for recycling.
- Collection – Organizing glass flows to ensure compatibility with flat glass production.
- Melting – Integration of cullet into new glass batches, reducing CO₂ emissions.
- Projects – Reuse of recycled glass in new windows and facades for construction and renovation.
This real-world initiative illustrates how industrial innovation and collaboration can unlock material circularity, reduce CO₂ emissions, and strengthen climate resilience across the built environment.
