New research and technology centre to help the global glass industry to create greener, cleaner products opens
Glass Futures in collaboration with the global glass industry has opened the world’s first openly accessible, commercially available, multi-disciplinary glass melting facility, The Global Centre of Excellence in St Helens, UK with provision for research and development trials to decarbonise the global glass and foundation industries.
The 165,000 sq. ft state-of-the-art facility will be capable of producing up to 30 tonnes of glass per day in a purposefully designed research and development furnace. Members, researchers, and industry leaders will collaborate and experiment with different energy sources, raw materials, and technologies to demonstrate solutions leading to sustainable energy usage in the glass-making process.
Richard Katz, chief executive officer of Glass Futures said:
“I don’t let go in a hurry and a decade after the idea of Glass Futures was first conceived that dream has come to fruition.
“Removing carbon emissions from global manufacturing is our world’s greatest challenge, and we need to change how we do things.
“The glass industry and the wider foundation industries (ceramics, steel, metal, chemicals, paper, and cement) need to decarbonise, to use energy sustainably and move away from natural gas as their main energy source.
“That’s why we exist and it’s thanks to the ongoing support of our founders, members, funders and supporters that we’re standing here today – but this really is just the start.”
Vice-Chair of the Northern Powerhouse Partnership Juergen Maier CBE said:
“We need to create new industries of the future, that’s the only way to ultimately create well paid jobs and prosperity.
“Many years ago, St Helens was innovative in the creation of the float glass process which today is pretty much the world standard… now we see glass manufacturers like Encirc developing hydrogen driven glass furnaces.
“These things are really difficult. They need engineering and standardising, and Glass Futures can help them to do that. We’re creating a new glass industry of the future…look around you, you can imagine the prosperity that all of that creates.”
Aston Fuller, Glass Futures general manager, said:
“This opening marks a new chapter for Glass Futures with St Helens as our home. A key part of that for us is working with as many local partners as possible, supporting local businesses, creating jobs, and attracting new companies and start-ups to come and join us in the borough.”
Steve Rotheram, mayor of the Liverpool City region, added:
"Building on St Helens’ proud legacy in the glassmaking industry, Glass Futures will help retain the borough’s position as a global centre of excellence. I’m proud that we’ve been able to help make it happen with £9m of city region funding.
"I have supported Glass Futures right from the very start, not just because it’s a great project but because it ticks so many boxes for us: decarbonisation of industry, clean energy, new well-paid jobs in a scheme that will make us a world leader.
"If we are to hit our ambitious targets to be net zero carbon by 2040 at the latest, at least a decade ahead of national targets, then we will need transformative projects like this to help us - and the planet - get there."
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