ResponsibleGlass, the organisation established last year to maximise the contribution of glass to a sustainable society, has published the first draft of its International Standard for Glassmaking.
The move has been described as marking a major step towards creating the world’s first global sustainability standard, certification and labelling system for the glass industry.
The draft standard is now open for a 60-day public consultation, giving businesses, suppliers, customers, policymakers, NGOs and other stakeholders the opportunity to help shape its development.
ResponsibleGlass brings together organisations from across the glass value chain, including manufacturers, raw material suppliers, recyclers, brands, sustainability experts, and civil society organisations. Founding members and supporters include Jaguar Land Rover ARUP, Belron, Ciner Glass, Climate Group, DSS+, IRMA, NSG Group, Stara Glass, WE Soda, ARM, Cary Group, ERM CVS.
The initiative is being spearheaded by Francis Sullivan, former head of sustainability at HSBC, and Alan Knight, former board member at ResponsibleSteel.
The draft ResponsibleGlass Standard is designed to create a framework for responsible glassmaking. It covers the entire glass value chain, from the sourcing of raw materials and energy through to glass production, product design and recycling. Under the proposals, glassmakers seeking ResponsibleGlass certification would be independently assessed against requirements covering governance, responsible sourcing, environmental performance, worker welfare, community impacts and circularity.
The draft standard is structured around six core areas:
- Management systems – ensuring companies have the policies, and reporting systems needed to manage sustainability performance effectively.
- Responsible business practices – including legal compliance, anti-corruption measures, stakeholder engagement, transparency and public reporting of sustainability data.
- Responsible sourcing – requiring companies to understand and assess the environmental and social impacts of key raw materials, recycled materials and energy sources used in glass production, while promoting greater supply chain transparency.
- Environmental performance – covering greenhouse gas emissions, energy use, water stewardship, biodiversity, waste management, air emissions and pollution, with companies expected to measure, manage and disclose performance against key sustainability metrics.
- People and communities – including worker health and safety, labour rights, human rights and engagement with local communities affected by glassmaking operations.
- Circularity and sustainable product design – encouraging greater use of recycled materials, improved recycling and recovery rates, and the development of glass products designed to reduce environmental impacts both during use and at the end of life.
Under the proposed system, glassmaking facilities would undergo independent audits against the ResponsibleGlass Standard. The standard also proposes common rules for measuring and reporting sustainability performance.
The publication of the first draft of the standard follows six months of collaboration between ResponsibleGlass members, supporters and stakeholders. Working groups covering responsible sourcing, greenhouse gas emissions, circularity, and downstream certification and claims have met to review proposals, test definitions and provide technical input.
Francis Sullivan, chair of ResponsibleGlass, said, “Glass is fundamental to modern life, from buildings and vehicles to solar technology and packaging, yet the sector has never operated under a unified, independent global sustainability framework. The publication of this first ResponsibleGlass Draft Standard is an important milestone in changing that.
“ResponsibleGlass brings together the entire value chain, from raw material producers and glassmakers to customers, sustainability experts and civil society organisations, to develop a shared definition of what responsible glassmaking should look like. But a standard is only as strong as the consensus behind it. why we’re now inviting the wider industry, customers, policymakers and civil society to help us build a trusted global benchmark for responsible glassmaking.
“Our ambition is to create a trusted benchmark for the industry that accelerates progress on sustainability, drives transparency and helps maximise the positive contribution glass can make to a more sustainable society.”
