Saint-Gobain, the construction materials giant with North American headquarters in Malvern, has produced the world’s first carbon-neutral flat glass using recycled materials and green energy, writes Francois De Beaupuy for Bloomberg. 

The new product, which is made at a plant in Aniche, France, is part of the company’s strategy to achieve carbon neutrality by 2050. 

Saint-Gobain “succeeded in adjusting all of the furnace’s technical parameters to this dual challenge of operating with 100 percent recycled material and 100 percent biogas, while ensuring the right optical quality of the glass,” said the manufacturer. 

Last year, Saint-Gobain used around 25 percent recycled-glass content in its output. 

The company has produced around 2,000 tons of carbon-neutral glass in one week, which is enough to make around 100,000 windows. The production saved 1,000 tons of carbon emissions, according to Saint-Gobain executive Maud Thuaudet. 

The cost of production is significantly higher than for traditional glass due to the expense of collecting and sorting used glass as well as the high price of biogas. To deal with this extra cost, the company is considering making some low-carbon glass instead of zero-carbon glass, using some recycled content and renewable energy in its production process. 

Read more about Saint-Gobain at Bloomberg.