It is clear to all economic sectors involved that sustainability in its three aspects (economic, ecological and social) is crucial for the well-being of all of us today and in the future.
The glass industry bears a special responsibility, as it is a closed-loop system on the one hand and carries out energy-intensive processes on the other. This presentation shows approaches how research can help to overcome these challenges. Three examples for research and development are presented for how glass development, melting and forming processes can be made more sustainable.
First example, for float and container soda-lime silica glasses it is explained, how carbonate raw materials can be avoided, reduced or substituted and how this impacts the melting and the properties of the respective glass. Emphasizes is put on the reduction and even avoidance of soda in soda-lime silica glasses. Soda on one hand is a major CO2-producing raw material for all common mass glasses in terms of scope 1 and scope 2 emissions. On the other hand it is, as it is a synthetic material, the most expensive raw-material used in mass-glasses.
In the second example a sustainable glass development for high quality table ware is presented in which barium, antimony and boron, which were present in the initial glass composition, have been avoided without spoiling and partly even exceeding the initial glass properties.
In the third and last example a process improvement for container glass and table-ware is presented to reduce partly hazardous consumables and increase performance and sustainability of the process and product. This is achieved by research on low-friction coatings that can eliminate the need of mould lubricants.