Glass is 100% recyclable and can be recycled an infinite number of times without loss of quality, strength and functionality.
‘Downcycling’ and landfill can be avoided – making container glass a valuable eco-friendly packaging material. In addition, for a glass manufacturer, the use of cullet (recycled glass) is extremely beneficial. Cullet is the technical term the industry uses for crushed glass and is a very important secondary raw material. Aside savings in virgin raw material consumption, around 2.5 – 3%
in energy savings can be achieved for every 10% of cullet that replaces primary, ‘virgin’, raw materials, as no ‘reaction energy’ is needed to melt cullet.The increased use of cullet, replacing carbonates as well as other raw materials, also results in reduced CO2 emissions. The use of cullet leads to savings on both fuel and raw material costs – something the glass industry has known for some time. However, using cullet also brings down CO2 emissions, as proved by a study carried out in the UK by Glass Technology Services Ltd (GTS) in collaboration with a group of leading manufacturers and The Carbon Trust.
