Hydro, Saint-Gobain push recycled-content windows

European companies market recycled-content glass windows framed in recycled-content aluminum as low-carbon building product.

hydro saint gobain
Left to right: Bruno Mauvernay of Saint-Gobain and Henri Gomez of Hydro Building Systems.
Photo courtesy of Norsk Hydro

The Hydro Building Systems business unit of Norway-based Norsk Hydro has partnered with France-based Saint-Gobain Glass to integrate its recycled-content products to offer builders and remodelers a way to reduce the carbon footprint of building facades.

The companies say they will jointly market window products that use both Hydro Circal recycled-content aluminum frames and Saint-Gobain Glass produced using renewable electricity and a high level of recycled content.

“We share with Hydro the same ambition to be leaders in light and sustainable construction,” says Marion Portenseigne of Saint-Gobain Glass. “This partnership will enable us to increase the awareness of low-carbon solutions for façades. This means common specification training for our specifiers to get to know the counterpart offer and joint communication actions.”

Hydro cites a life cycle assessment study of façades that estimated the embodied carbon of a building façade could be reduced by up to half by combining façade systems made from Hydro Circal and Saint Gobain ORAÉ products, such as its solar control glass.

Hydro and Saint-Gobain Glass say they also are investing in urban mining across Europe, a method that recycles end-of-life aluminum and glass. This, they say, underlines their commitment to circularity in the building industry. In addition, the companies say they will work together to ensure that glass and aluminum from end-of life façades will be recycled.

The two firms say the partnership not only enables the creation of greener buildings but also provides builders with a potential avenue for European financial support. Both companies say they are committed to sustainable development and helping architects and builders construct more eco-friendly buildings, calling it a crucial step, since buildings currently account for 39 percent of global greenhouse gas emissions.

“This can only be achieved through closer collaboration with teams of both companies involved, from the initial design stages to the completion of the building,” says Lucile Souyri, sustainability manager at Hydro Building Systems.