What will glass look like in the industry of the future? - Glass Trend Event 2023

The Glass Trend event is a biannual gathering for all glass industry companies. In October 2023, the Glass Trend Event took place in Grenoble, at Schneider Electric France's Intencity building. In this episode, participants shared insights into the challenges facing the glass industry and the solutions developed by their companies.

All agree on the need to decarbonize the supply chain. According to Sven Kahl, Manager Furnace Operations Group at Ardagh Group and member of the Glass Trend board, this is a consumer demand, but "it's essential to realize that becoming greener doesn't mean becoming cheaper." He emphasizes the need for partnerships for a sustainable future.

Bruno Purnode, also on the Glass Trend board and Leader Modeling Technology at Owens Corning, states, "We are a very conservative industry. We are trying to evolve, but it takes time. If I were a magician, I would try to accelerate the process."

"There will come a time when it will be too late," adds Alex Richard, Vice President of Minerals and Metals Operations at Schneider Electric France. According to him, decarbonization must involve a combination of industrialization and automation. The glass industry is thus faced with both an ecological and technological challenge, which the innovations presented at this event may help address.