Clearview National December 2014 - Issue 157 | Page 62

GLASS&SEALEDUNITS

Protecting the interests of the industry
»»The British glass industry is
valued at £2.5bn (including container, flat,
processing, technical glass and glass fibre)
and employs c.7000 people directly, with an
estimated 150,000 jobs dependent through
the supply chain. It is therefore vital that their
needs are represented to continue the UK’s
strong heritage in the manufacturing sector
and compete on the global stage.
The British Glass Manufacturers’
Confederation is the trade association for the
UK glass manufacturing industry. It represents
the interests of primary glass manufacturers
and the supply chain – from raw materials to
brand owners, retailers and the end-consumer,
promoting glass as the material of choice

and ensuring that both the industry and its
products remain competitive and innovative.
Acting as the industry’s focal point, British
Glass plays a principal role in communicating
the concerns and aspirations of our Members
to the Government, the European Union
and other external interest groups and trade
bodies.

‘British Glass plays
a principal role’
The British Glass team assesses, consults on,
and communicates new or proposed policies
that affect the UK glass industry in order
to secure the best legislative and regulatory
framework for the industry. For example,
by undertaking policy development and
providing input to government departments,
agencies, regulators, NGOs and other
stakeholders to achieve the best possible
outcomes for the glass sector.
Where appropriate, through links to other
industry groups and governmental departments,

powerful collaborations can be formed, allowing
initiatives to gain wider momentum to help
achieve goals, both at UK and EU level.
Recent lobbying activity has focused on
issues such as; environmental permitting,
carbon leakage, mineralogical exemption,
climate change agreements, funding incentives
for environmental improvements, cullet
and recycling, defending the packaging
position, ensuring waste compliancy, materials
availability, equality, diversity and inclusion
and workforce up-skilling.
Other services British Glass offer includes
access to technical research and business data,
providing advice and guidance, representation
on relevant Groups and Committees, bespoke
glass industry training and development and
networking opportunities through events such
as the annual Glass Focus Conference.
Through its subsidiary company, Glass
Technology Services (GTS), British Glass
undertakes a number of collaborative
innovation research projects with leading
Universities on some ground-breaking hightech glass applications.

HELPING ACHIEVE BREEAM ‘EXCELLENT’ RATING
10 Wellington Place is an outstanding
new contemporary building located at
the heart of the Leeds business hub.
»»Saint
-Gobain
supplied the high performance
glass which gave the building
its striking form through the
impressive floor to ceiling glazing;
helping to create a glass façade
design and its modern exterior
to create a contrast against the
existing stone architecture in the
area.
Saint-Gobain Glass products
were chosen over other glass
alternatives in the specification
due to the architect requiring
a very specific amount of solar
gain and light reflection in the
glass façade. The company has
extensive green credentials and
conducts Life Cycle Assessments
for its products.

10 Wellington Place achieved a
BREEAM Excellent-rating with SaintGobain Glass contributing towards
this in two areas: the company’s
high performance glass coatings
that re X