Sustainability

Q+A with Cherry Hill Glass, Dow, Press Glass | Reimagining Skylines

Innovative sealant sustainability program is paving the way for sustainable carbon-neutral architecture.

Flat Glass Recycling

It’s possible, it’s profitable, and it’s necessary to achieve energy efficiency targets in glass manufacturing.

Low Embodied Carbon

Now more than ever, architects, developers and construction professionals are turning their attention to embodied carbon – the carbon emissions produced during the manufacturing, transportation and installation of building materials. Glass plays a critical role among these materials, both as a…

A look at LEED v5 and what it means for our industry

Key changes to the new LEED v5 include separate credits for energy efficiency and carbon emissions, revamped Materials and Resources credits, and new credit opportunities for fenestration.

Architect’s Guide to the Glass Recycling Supply Chain

Creating opportunities for greater glass recycling and circularity.

Mexico Accelerating Development of Its Glass Sector

Nearshoring and demand for bullet-resistant glass boost a growing industry.

Navigating the Sustainability Maze

Risks and responsibilities for the glazing industry.

Global Alliance Unveils New Report

A global alliance of green building organizations launched a groundbreaking sustainable finance call to action aimed at bringing the vast majority of buildings up to modern sustainability standards.

World of Glass 2025 Report

How can the global glass industry, in all segments, address the need to reduce embodied and operational carbon? The answer, per glass manufacturing leaders, requires improvements in three areas: manufacturing, recycling and reuse, and installed product performance.

Sustainability Standards Create Opportunities

Like safety, sustainability has evolved to become an expected part of the conversation for commercial glazing projects. In most cases, architects drive the discussion as to which standards and what stringency of criteria.   

What’s Next in Sustainable Design?

It’s that time of the year when many of us start seeing reports and lists of trends in the construction industry. As has been the case in previous years, it seems sustainable design remains a top concern—and for good reason. While sustainability is often at top of mind, this year, it seems like the…

2024's Record Heat: Driving Innovation in Window Technology

The summer of 2024 was the fourth-hottest summer on record for the contiguous United States, with an average temperature of 73.8 degrees Fahrenheit, which is 2.5 degrees above normal. The states of Arizona, California, Florida, Maine, and New Hampshire experienced the warmest summer in their…

Flat Glass Recycling and Sustainability

Demand for recycled glass material is high, giving scrap glass generators an opportunity to find a better environmental and economic alternative to discarding glass in a landfill.

Gold for Sustainability at the Paris Games

The Paris games feature one permanent centerpiece—The Paris Olympics Aquatics Centre, a striking example of new sustainable construction, complete with a sweeping timber structure and glass façade.  

Blazing Trends: The Surging Demand for Fire-Rated Glass 

Aesthetics, technology and sustainability are shaping the future of fire-rated glass in an increasingly multi-functional world.

From glasstec: Circular economy in the glass industry a major topic of this decade

At this year's glasstec, held Oct. 22-25 in Düsseldorf, Germany, circular economy will be a Hot Topic, a major area of focus for the international trade show. Decarbonization and digital technologies are other Hot Topics of the show.

A New Era Is Here

Pre-Engineered Metal Buildings offer standardization, and cost-effectiveness, to construction. While the systems have had historical difficulty incorporating effective daylighting options, new solar illumination products offer the potential to ensure both sustainability and lower cost.

Taking Aim at Sustainability with Commercial Vinyl

As vinyl options for commercial glass and glazing applications mature, they offer performance in demanding applications and sustainability for architects.

Optimizing Carbon Emissions in Insulating Glass and Aluminum Frames

There's a push to considering the dual impact of embodied and operational carbon emissions in building materials. To reduce emissions, those in the glass industry can consider investing in triple glazed and/or durable IGUs. Companies should also be considering the content of the frame, and where it…

Greenbuild exhibitors zoom in on carbon and material transparency

This year's Greenbuild focused on material transparency and carbon messaging. Exhibitors showcased sustainable products, EPDs and tools for determining installed energy performance.

Current product-specific EPDs depend on new fenestration PCR

For fenestration manufacturers, the road to LEED v4.1 certification has been made more difficult recently by a defunct program operator for the product category rule. With a new PCR for fenestration developed with a coalition of industry groups, including NGA, companies will now be able to qualify…

Repurposing Unwanted Glass

Without a national glass recycling infrastructure, Repurposed Materials Inc. offers an opportunity to reuse and repurpose architectural glass.

Using PV Installations to Achieve Green Goals

Sedak, a Germany-based glass manufacturer, has been using photovoltaic, or PV, installations to reach its environmental goals. By extending its PV system in February, most of sedak’s electricity requirements at its Gersthofen location are covered by solar power.

Health + Safety

How glass improves lives for building occupants, contributing to human health and safety where people live, work, heal and play. With resources from the National Glass Association.

Glaston Sets Sustainability Goals

In line with Glaston’s strategic focus areas, the company focused on reducing its carbon footprint in 2022. The greenhouse gas emissions from Glaston’s own operations decreased by 43 percent year-on-year. The result was mainly achieved by shifting to the use of renewable electricity at Glaston’s…

How Do Paints and Anodizes Affect LEED Credits?

In this final installment of our series on earning LEED v4 points, we'll look at anodizes and finishes, and learn what to consider for your project.

Greenbuild 2023

EPA Finalizes Energy Star Version 7.0

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency finalized the Version 7.0 Energy Star Specification for Residential Windows, Doors and Skylights on Oct. 20. The new criteria will go into effect on Oct. 23, 2023, with products meeting the new criteria eligible for early certification starting immediately.

Sustainability takes center stage at glasstec 2022

Exhibitors at glasstec 2022 provided automation solutions to meet industry challenges of an entrenched labor shortage and increasing sustainability requirements. 

How Suitable Is Flat Glass for Circular Economy?

The construction sector is the biggest consumer of resources and energy in Germany. There are still too many valuable and dwindling resources used for new construction and hardly any “real” material cycles based on the "closed-loop recycling" model are used when buildings are demolished.

All About Glass & Metals: The High-Performance Façade Equation

Glass Magazine’s 2022 All About Glass & Metals: Guide for Architects takes a closer look at three essential elements to the high-performance façade equation.

Glass Can Save the World

While the sentiment may seem audacious, it’s also true. 

Window innovation, sustainability, and trends front and center at FGIA roundtables

Roundtable discussions at the 2022 Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance Hybrid Annual Conference in Amelia Island, Fla. highlighted trends like thin triple glazing, sustainability best practices, and case studies on window industry innovations.

Vitro Architectural Glass Reinforces Commitment to Sustainability

Vitro Architectural Glass is dedicated to raising the industry standard for sustainability and has partnered with various organizations and industry initiatives to reinforce its commitment to the environment and help realize the full potential for environmentally friendly glass innovation on a…

Dow to Introduce Commercially Available Program for Carbon-Neutral Silicones

Dow will introduce a commercially available service for carbon-neutral silicones in building facades, according to a company release. Used for structural glazing, insulating glass, and weathersealing, the carbon-neutral silicones will be PAS 2060-verified to help decrease the environmental impact…

Sustainable Geometric Façade Incorporates YKK AP Thermally Broken System

The geometry of the new JST Production and Engineering Center is striking, with more than 70 corners inside and out. Designed by Ryuichi Ashizawa Architects, the building, located in Swarata Township, Pennsylvania, represents a deep connection to nature, taking inspiration from tree roots. Its…

NSG/Pilkington Starts Construction on Solar Array at Ohio Plant

Construction is well underway on a 1.4 MW solar array installation at NSG/Pilkington’s Rossford, Ohio, site. 

Pilkington Runs U.K. Plant Furnace on Hydrogen Blend

Pilkington UK completed another trial involving the use of hydrogen to produce glass at its Greengate plant in the U.K., reported in the St. Helens Star.

Vitro’s Solarban 67 Glass Adds Sustainability, Views to New Portland Civic Center

As Oregon’s first project to pursue LEED certification at the Platinum level, the Meyer Memorial Trust in the heart of Portland’s urban community combines investments in social equity and sustainability through building elements that include a saw-toothed photovoltaic (PV) roof, textured metal…

6 Reasons to Love Architectural Glass

Among structural materials, glass is worthy of our admiration, with many properties that make it uniquely suited to enhance the beauty, design and performance of buildings. It benefits people; it benefits the environment.  

YKK AP America Appoints First Chief Sustainability Officer

YKK AP America appointed Tomohisa Kato as its first-ever chief sustainability officer.

Making Sustainability and Resilience Part of Your Business

Sustainability and resiliency are two key words we often hear in the industry. But this summer seems to have made these topics more top of mind than ever.

Vitro Architectural Glass Celebrates Commitment to Sustainability in Recognition of Earth Day

In observance of Earth Day, Vitro Architectural Glass is recognizing its growth as an environmentally-focused business and ongoing commitment to meeting the standards of sustainability certification programs through its introduction of new, sustainable products.

Keeping Cost and Durability in Mind in the Pursuit of Sustainability

As a confluence of forces has made holistic sustainability a priority for new commercial construction, architects need to balance cost and long-term durability of specified components to make it a reality.

What is Embodied Carbon and Why Does it Matter?

Product Transparency FAQs

As green building becomes the expectation rather than the exception, building owners are asking for evidence that their facilities are as friendly to occupants and to the environment as planned. While building product manufacturers have responded with more sustainable products, many are also…

Fired Up: Sorting Through the Green Building Maze

Anyone want to take a guess at how many green product certifications there are in the world, like Cradle to Cradle or Environmental Product Declarations? I did a little digging to find out the answer after reading Glass Magazine’s March article on “The Green Building Maze.” As it turns out, there…

Prepare Your Talking Points, the Battle for Glass is Back

Are architects turning their backs on skyscrapers? This was the question posed in a recent CNN piece that interrogated the sustainability and energy performance of glass. The article, through interviews with several architects and other building industry officials, seemed to posit that glass…