Responsible resource and waste management
Responsible resource and waste management
Stewardship involves managing our actions and resources in a responsible manner that respects the rights of others. We make it a priority to ensure resources are managed carefully and eliminate waste.
Europe
PVB recycling:
Lamination lines from six of our manufacturing sites in Europe recycle the polyvinyl butyral (PVB) trims for reintroduction in our supplier’s PVB manufacturing processes. On average, approximately 72 tons of PVB are recycled per plant, per year. Between 2017 and 2023, around 3,319 tons of PVB have been recycled. Suppliers’ recycling of PVB trims is dependent upon the quality of the material.
Power generation:
In Bascharage, Luxembourg, our site now features over 11,000 photovoltaic panels on its roof. During periods of optimal solar production, the 25,000+ sqm installation, which began producing energy in August 2024, is anticipated to satisfy around 75% of the plant’s instant elecrticity demand on a typical fully operational weekday.
Based on the average number of sunny days in Luxembourg, the installation is expected to cover ~11% of the plant's total annual electricity consumption.
Reduced EP dust landfilled:
Flue gas containing dust particles is generated in a glass furnace during the melting of raw materials. Guardian has invested in electrostatic precipitator technology, a closed loop filterless system that precipitates those fine particles into a dust (i.e., electrostatic precipitator dust, or EP Dust), that can be reused as a raw material in our float process. Through reintroduction of the precipitated EP Dust in the furnace, several of our sites in Europe have been able to reduce the demand for certain raw materials and also minimize the amount of EP Dust landfilled by about 50%.
Latin America
Conserving water:
In 2014, a drought adversely impacted communities at our Tatuí and Porto Real locations in Brazil. Employees at our site in Tatuí designed a wastewater treatment system to recover effluent from the wet coater for reuse. Additionally, the team found a way to reuse the reject water from the system’s reverse osmosis (RO) treatment process, rather than sending the water to be treated. The site has now applied these water conservation practices to other areas of the facility, accumulatively reaching more than 1,300,000 m3 of water savings since 2014. This is equivalent to more than 2.7 billion 16 oz (approx. 0.5 l) water bottles.
North America
Our site in Richburg, South Carolina, completed several comparison projects to evaluate the efficient use of sulfur dioxide (SO2) in the production process in 2022. SO2 is injected on glass to help reduce scratching and damage by the rollers as it passes through the float line. By decreasing the SO2 dispensed over time, and checking for maintained quality parameters, the site has reduced SO2 injection amounts by more than 90% (standard cubic feet per hour).
Conserving water:
In 2023, our site in Corsicana, Texas, installed flow meters on the cooling towers and coating line washers. The flow meters are commissioned to a software that allows for real-time monitoring of water usage. In the event there is excess water usage due to a leak, stuck valve or inefficient processes, the site engineers can efficiently identify these issues and promptly resolve them.
Africa & Middle East
In 2023, our site in Al Jubail, Saudi Arabia, underwent a cold tank repair (CTR), during which the furnace was rebuilt to accommodate a wide glass ribbon format, contributing to less glass trim waste per square meter of glass produced.
Asia Pacific
Our Nong Khae plant is Green Industry certified Level 2, since 2020. The Green Industry certification is awarded by the Thai Ministry of Industry to companies who committed to an environmental improvement program, by focusing on development and continuous improvement in production process and environmental management.
In 2023, our site in Rayong, Thailand, implemented an automated, digital system for tracking and recording operational and quality related data on the main float line. This nearly eliminated the need for handwritten and printed data tracking and enhanced our ability to promptly detect and respond to defects. Paper usage was reduced by about 95% at the main float line.
