Glass products not only provide light, comfort, style, security and safety, they are also essential to energy-efficient buildings, houses and transport. Windows containing high-performance glass such as low-e insulating glass, which helps keep warmth in, and solar-control glass, which reflects unwanted heat away, help reduce energy consumption. Solar-energy glass helps enhance the production of renewable sources of energy. Better use of building glass alone could help reduce Europe's CO2 emissions by 100 million tonnes annually hence Glass for Europe's plea for an ambitious and robust European energy-efficiency policy. Glass for Europe would like to take the opportunity offered by this consultation to remind European policy makers of the strong commitment of the flat glass industry to the recycling of flat glass products, some of which are used in photovoltaic modules (PV). In fact, glass recycling has the greatest environmental benefits since it helps the flat glass industry to further reduce its energy consumption and associated CO2 emissions. From a sustainable policy standpoint, it makes only sense to our industry that products aimed at providing renewable sources of energy are properly recycled. On average, one tonne of cullet saves 230kg of CO2 and one tonne of raw materials. In order to increase the recycling rate of products deriving from flat glass, it is necessary to develop stable and efficient waste management infrastructures across the EU for the collection and treatment of PV modules. Flat glass manufacturers are ready to contribute to this work thanks to their expertise in recycling, particularly in automotive glass which is an equally complex glass product integrated to other components to offer a final product. Against this background, Glass for Europe would like to make the following comments on the policy options suggested in the report. Glass for Europe disagrees with the policy recommendation expressed in the 'Study on photovoltaic panels supplementing the impact assessment for a recast of the Waste Electrical and Electronical Equipment Directive (WEEE)' and urges the Commission to support the moves being proposed by the industry to further strengthen an industry led recycling scheme. This position finds its roots in the concerns expressed below. Glass for Europe members are aware of the importance of glass in the mass of a photovoltaic panel and are therefore willing to take their share of the recycling responsibility. Glass for Europe would nevertheless like to stress that PV module recycling should not all be centred on glass as they are other components originating from other suppliers, which should even more so be recycled due to their rare or hazardous nature. These other products are not necessarily integrated by glassmakers. Regardless of instruments put in place to achieve high recycling rates and regardless any legal responsibility, it is important to involve all industry stakeholders to guarantee maximum recycling. To read more of this press release, please visit: www.glassforeurope.com
