Guardian Glass Europe is proud to announce that three product families manufactured at eight of the company's European plants - coated glass, laminated glass and float glass - have been awarded Cradle to Cradle Bronze certification.
The Cradle to Cradle™ product standard is an internationally recognized methodology for assessing the attributes of sustainable products, and the glass industry's response to the challenges of a circular economy. Products covered by the standard are evaluated according to five areas of their impact on human health and the state of the environment. It's also a motivation for continuous development, as there are several levels of certification,
and the certification must be renewed every two years. Achieving each successive level involves meeting more stringent requirements within the following categories:
- Material health impact - optimizing the chemical composition of materials used in the product/building to minimize their harmful effects on human health and the environment.
- Material recycling - eliminating the concept of "waste" with the intention of recovering 100% of the components used in a given process.
- Renewable energy and carbon management - use of renewable energy, positive impact of manufacturers on energy sources, environmental sustainability, reduction of carbon emissions.
- Sustainable management of water sources - treating water as a valuable resource and promoting efficient ways to reduce water consumption.
- Social integrity - conducting business in an ethical and responsible manner with all stakeholders in mind, including the supply chain and the environment.
Benefits of buying C2C-certified products
Product developers, manufacturers and brands from around the world are looking to the Cradle to Cradle™ product standard as a guideline in developing and manufacturing products that positively impact us and the planet. A growing number of brands, organizations and sustainability standards, such as LEED and BREEAM, see C2C as the preferred designation for consciously chosen products.
In the context of the construction industry, the Cradle to Cradle Building Charter is a document to encourage architects and designers to create buildings whose main consideration from the conception stage is to have a positive impact on the surrounding environment. The design and creation of buildings should follow Cradle to Cradle principles, and a wide range of products and materials bearing the C2C label should be used during these processes.
The receipt of the C2C bronze certification by the float, coated and laminated glass produced by Guardian is a significant step toward ensuring that our products are in line with our vision, which is "to improve human life by providing products and services that our customers value more than available alternatives, using fewer raw materials." The vision is to produce glass that reduces energy consumption and improves the comfort of building occupants.
Guus Boekhoudt, Vice President of Guardian Glass in Europe comments on this important event as follows:
This is a great success in the history of Guardian Glass. Over the past twelve months, eight of our European plants and some sixty employees from more than fifteen departments have been responsible for its achievement. Receiving the Bronze certificate confirms Guardian's dedication to sustainability and the fact that we are positioning ourselves as a leader in responsible glass production that benefits the environment.
For more information, visit the Guardian Glass company page on our website.
