Glass Focus 2016, the annual conference held by British Glass, will include a workshop on the circular economy and glass recycling.

The ‘take, make, dispose’ economic model is reaching its physical limits and moving to a circular economy, and keeping products and materials at their best use and value is imperative.

 

The workshop at Glass Focus 2016 will explore what the glass supply chain can do to instigate solutions that bring genuine benefits and avoid unintended consequences.

It will look at the national and European policy context that is increasingly focussed on sustainability.

Rebecca Cocking, Head of Container Affairs at British Glass says:

“Despite long-running efforts on recycling, glass packaging recycling rates have recently stagnated, manufacturers demand for quality cullet outstrips supply, and for flat glass only a fraction ever makes it back to remelt.

“Glass manufacturers want to see more recycling – but experience shows that achieving this takes real joined up thinking.”

The workshop will be co-presented by:

Maurice Golden, Circular Economy Programme Manager at Zero Waste Scotland, who leads a team that’s making sustainable thinking and practice central to Scottish business with particular focus on design, food and drink, construction and the energy sector.

Duncan Simpson, Director of Sales and Marketing at Valpak, who has acute commercial insight into all aspects of sorting and reprocessing glass for re-melt and other end markets.

Gilli Hobbs, Strategy Director for the Building Futures Group at BRE – the world leading multi-disciplinary building science centre – who oversees research and development covering lean construction processes and products, resource efficiency and smart monitoring.

Rebecca says: “Keeping the momentum across all the stakeholders – right through retailers to customers and back to the factory – is an ongoing challenge.

“As an industry, we want to be at the heart of shaping circular economy policy and make sure glass realises its potential as an infinitely recyclable material.

“I really look forward to hearing the discussion this workshop generates – and with all stages of the glass industry supply chain attending Glass Focus 2016 it promised to be informed and lively.”