Saint-Gobain launches glass circular economy program at 2 facilities in California

Saint-Gobain North America, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has launched a recycling program at two locations in California through its automotive glass subsidiary Saint-Gobain Sekurit and its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Insulation. Through the program, windshield glass scraps will be recycled and reused in insulation production. 

In collaboration with Shark Solutions, a Danish recycler of polyvinyl butyral, waste automotive windshield glass from Saint-Gobain Sekurit’s facility in Garden Grove, California, will be diverted from the landfill and recycled. The resulting glass cullet is sent to CertainTeed Insulation’s facility in Chowchilla, California, to be used as a recycled ingredient in the production of fiberglass insulation.  

The project, which launched in 2022, comes as Saint-Gobain continues to roll out its new global Grow and Impact strategy. This strategy includes reducing waste and increasing the circularity of raw materials in its production processes, allowing Saint-Gobain to achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2050.  

“As we work to make the world a better home, it is important that we all think outside the box and develop innovative approaches to achieve our sustainability goals,” says Mark Rayfield, president and CEO of Saint-Gobain North America and CertainTeed. “I congratulate our facilities in Garden Grove and Chowchilla, California for creating a true, first-of-its-kind circular economy program that will be a model for others and will ensure the glass we use in our production is recycled and reused within our company, reducing our environmental footprint.”  

The launch of this circular economy project in California follows several other recent company actions to solidify its commitment toward sustainability, including the announcement of another pilot circular economy program at CertainTeed Gypsum’s facility in Buchanan, New York. The plant is partnering with three other New York companies to reclaim waste gypsum wallboard and reuse it as feedstock in its production.