Ardagh Glass Packaging (AGP) will celebrate the United Nations International Year of Glass throughout 2022, commemorating the essential role of glass packaging in a sustainable society.
The International Commission on Glass (ICG), the Community of Glass Associations (CGA) and ICOM-Glass are promoting 2022 as the United Nations International Year of Glass (IYOG) to underline the scientific, economic and cultural importance of glass in all its forms in our everyday lives.
The year-long celebration will result in a range of events across the world, including fairs and exhibitions, seminars and social media campaigns, to inform and educate communities everywhere of the history that glass has and its beneficial contributions in areas such as sustainability, health, culture and art, to name a few.
AGP is looking forward to supporting some of the events in recognition of this significant milestone for the industry. These include the National Day of Glass on April 5 to 7, 2022, at The Madison in Washington, D.C., and the Glasstec Exhibition on Sept. 20 to 23, 2022, in Dusseldorf, Germany.
Glass is sustainable and infinitely recyclable, making it the perfect material for a circular economy. Additionally, glass is the only widely-used food packaging granted the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) status of ‘GRAS,' or Generally Regarded As Safe - the highest standard.
"AGP is a leading supplier of sustainable, infinitely recyclable glass packaging, that plays a key role in the circular economy," said Mike Dick, Chief Commercial Officer for Ardagh Group. "In this IYOG, AGP is focused on product and process innovations, as well as working on breakthrough projects which will help to achieve our 2030 sustainability targets outlined in Ardagh Group's latest Sustainability Report."
These targets include zero waste to landfill, a 26 percent intensity reduction in water usage, a 23 percent intensity reduction in NOx emissions, a transition to 100 percent renewable electricity and maximizing the use of recycled glass in its furnaces.
Eight facilities across AGP are already using renewable electricity: Limmared, Sweden; Barnsley, Doncaster, Irvine and Knottingley in the U.K., and Bridgeton, New Jersey; Burlington, Wisconsin; and Madera, California in the United States. To support AGP's emissions reduction strategy, major off-site renewable energy projects are under development in three European facilities - one in Germany and two in the U.K.
Aligned with these sustainability targets, AGP - North America (NA) has diverted waste from landfill at its Burlington, Wisconsin and Ruston, Louisiana facilities by diverting 100 percent of their non-hazardous oily debris from landfill and converting it for energy recovery and alternative use. In the future, this same methodology will be implemented at additional facilities throughout AGP - NA.
