Pilkington UK has drawn on collaborative research with the Glass Futures organisation in creating Pilkington Mirai, a glass range launched today (Oct 10), with 50% less embodied carbon compared to standard float glass.
Mirai, said by the manufacturer to be ‘the lowest carbon product of its kind on the market’, claiming no difference in performance, quality, or aesthetic appearance, was pioneered using a combination of alternative fuel, high recycled glass content, and green electricity sources.
Kristian Chalmers, global strategic commercial manager at the NSG Group, said: “The launch of Pilkington Mirairepresents the beginning of an exciting journey. The new range will be instrumental in providing architects with the solutions they need for reducing the carbon intensity of their projects.
“We aim to expand our offering through further collaboration and technological advancements in the near future on our journey towards achieving carbon neutrality.”
Aston Fuller, general manager at Glass Futures said: “We work collaboratively with our members to complete groundbreaking trials and demonstrate the feasibility of industrial scale alternative low carbon fuels like hydrogen and biofuel. To see the application of this technology and cut half of the embodied carbon of glass is a major technical achievement, with an abundance of research well underway on how the industry can ultimately cut all carbon ready for 2050.”
Glass Futures, which launched its £54million Global Centre of Excellence earlier this year https://www.the-glazine.com/?p=9563 , has carried out research into many carbon-cutting initiatives including alternative fuel trials, the learning from which has been part of the development of Mirai.
Dave Dalton, Chief Executive at industry body British Glass, said: “Pilkington UK’s new low carbon glass is an exemplar for what can be achieved when a manufacturer collaborates with its partners and innovates. Driving sustainability in the built environment represents a huge challenge, but products like this will make an important contribution in how we tackle decarbonisation across the glass supply chain.”
Miraiis available in various thicknesses, for uncoated and coated specifications, as well as having the ability to be laminated.
The glass can be combined with other high-performance low emissivity, solar control, and acoustic coatings in the Pilkington product family.
The glassmaker also has Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for selected glass ranges, to provide building designers with greater transparency over the carbon lifecycle of building materials.
The claim of 50% less embodied carbon is based on comparison with the company’s standard 4 mm Pilkington Optifloat Clear (European baseline).
