Howdy, carbon heads, I’m looking for resources or people to talk to about glass’s carbon footprint, and what’s coming for reducing that. Also use of ground glass as a pozzolan or aggregate. Thanks!
UL SPOT has quite a few EPDs of glass in various formats, window glass, fiberglass insulation, etc. which are in line with the interests of the building crowd. For things like fiberglass reinforcements, there’s an industry study from Europe that goes into nice detail - https://www.glassfibreeurope.eu/sustainability/life-cycle-inventory-impact-assessment/
In terms of reducing the carbon footprint, from an insulation and reinforcements point of view, some of the strategies include changing the chemical binder on insulation, increasing recycled glass cullet content, general productivity improvements & product optimization, and probably the biggest opportunity, increased use of renewable electricity, including conversion of natural gas furnaces to electric.
If there are questions related to our products, happy to answer as best I can.
Cheryl Smith
Program Leader | Product Stewardship & Sustainability
Owens Corning
There is a full LCA study on glass pozzolan, here’s a summary, but you could contact RIT to get the full report - https://www.rit.edu/affiliate/nysp2i/sites/rit.edu.affiliate.nysp2i/files/docs/resources/Urban_Mining_Northeast_Evaluates_Environmental_Impact_of_Pozzotive_in_Cement.pdf
Bruce,
What do you see coming to reduce glass’s carbon footprint? Other than the EPDs @cheryl.smith listed, are there new products on the horizon that will do better?
Thank you!
This is the link to the AGC web site information about their program tracking the carbon footprint of their glass products. Might be useful for what you are looing for.
Thank you!
Linking here to Climate Earth LCA for Pozzotive ground-glass pozzolan (GGP) out of Beacon Falls, CT plant: https://pozzotive.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/10/Pozzotive-Life-Cycle-Assessment.pdf. 42% GWP reduction (compared to all-cement control) for 9k psi US Concrete mix designs replacing 50% of cement w/ GGP.
ASTM C1866 Std. Spec. is here: www.astm.org/Standards/C1866.htm
One ACI Materials Journal article on NYC sidewalks w/ 20%-40% GGP cement replacement alongside FA + slag mixes: www.concrete.org/publications/internationalconcreteabstractsportal/m/details/id/51716716
Also, Saint Gobain aims to increase its window glass circularity/recycling in France from 30% to 50% by 2025, referencing that a metric ton of recycled glass/cullet saves 300 kilos of CO2.
Thank you!
It’s great to see your interest in reducing glass’s carbon footprint and exploring its use as a pozzolan or aggregate. For valuable insights and resources, you might want to reach out to environmental organizations, research institutions, or experts in sustainable construction materials. They can provide you with the latest developments and strategies for minimizing glass’s environmental impact. Good luck on your journey towards sustainability!
Hello there, eco-conscious folks! I’m looking for resources or individuals to discuss glass’s carbon footprint and upcoming clean initiatives to reduce it. I also want to explore using ground glass as a sustainable, clean pozzolan or aggregate. Thanks in advance for any insights!
Hi Bruce,
You may interested in a report Arup released with Saint-Gobain: Carbon footprint of facades significance of glass - Arup
Anecdotally I’ve heard that at least one US float glass supplier can only use cullet generated from their own glass due to a specific chemical in their formulation, so this seems to preclude any post-consumer cullet. Appears to be validated by a lot of these sources citing pre-consumer cullet rates.
Our facade engineering team has also been looking in circularity opportunities - mostly using mechanical vs. chemical connections to facilitate reuse.
1 Like
Piggybacking off Bruce’s post here… what replacement rate are people using for IGUs on their wbLCAs? Will a curtain/window wall buildings need a full assembly replacement every 20-30 years?