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Being an original, individual and versatile material, glass can be used in many sectors in different ways. This is what the Bundesverband Glasindustrie e. V. (Federal Association of the German Glass Industry, short: BV Glas) wants to highlight – alongside fulfilling many other tasks. It also plays a prominent role for the world-leading trade fair as a conceptual partner of glasstec.  In an interview with Dr. Johann Overath, Director of BV Glas, he shared insights on the current challenges and future opportunities for the glass industry.

glasstec 2024 is round the corner. One relevant topic for the industry is decarbonisation. How do you currently rate this topic in the glass industry? What needs to happen to achieve the goals we have set ourselves?

Dr. Johann Overath: “The decarbonisation of the glass industry ranks at the very top of the agenda for both our member companies and for BV Glas. Germany aims to become climate-neutral by 2045 – to achieve this, enormous efforts are required on the part of the whole industry. Therefore, BV Glas has developed a CO2 roadmap that flags up the possible transformation paths for the glass industry. Many companies have already set out on this path and initiated forward-looking projects for decarbonising their glass melting tanks. BV Glas is also in constant exchange with policy-makers on this topic. They have to create the necessary framework to make decarbonisation of the glass industry possible.”

Another topic is the circular economy. Glass boasts a tremendous advantage here in terms of recyclability. Where do you see the current challenges for the sector?

Dr. Johann Overath: “Correct, glass is 100% recyclable, time and again, without any loss of quality. With a collection rate of some 85% for container glass at present we are already well on the way. But our aim is to educate consumers ever better about the benefits of recycling and to further increase the collection rate. After all, we are still falling short of the 90% collection rate stipulated in the Packaging Act, which should have already been attained as early as 2022. We have to raise awareness that even the smallest of glass packaging can be recycled and used for producing new glass packaging. This saves raw materials and energy while reducing CO2 emissions.”

Which sustainable innovations, technologies and trends do you consider especially promising for the future of the glass industry – over the next ten years, for example?

Dr. Johann Overath: “In the long term we see enormous potential in the areas of energy efficiency, climate protection and sustainability. As both urbanisation is increasing and the demand for sustainable construction materials and glass are rising, glass will play an ever more important role. We bank on innovative technologies and closer cooperation within the sector to continuously improve the energy efficiency of our products and reduce their carbon footprint at the same time. The development of smart glass, which can reduce the energy consumption of buildings is also an exciting field. Such innovations allow us to offer sustainable solutions that make both ecological and economic sense.”

Which topics and focal themes will BV Glas focus on at glasstec 2024?

Dr. Johann Overath: “We will move such topics as sustainability, digitalisation and energy efficiency to the foreground. There is a lot going on there. After all, the future-proofness of the glass industry needs to be secured and global challenges overcome. We want to show how the glass industry can make a positive contribution to the environment and which innovative solutions are already available today. Without glass the energy transition will fail.”

Finally, we were wondering – if you were to describe glass in three words – what would they be? For me glass is …

Dr. Johann Overath: “Sustainability, Value, Future.”

Visit BV Glas at glasstec – .

About BV Glas

Bundesverband Glasindustrie e.V. (BV Glas) – the Federal Association of the German Glass Industry – is the central point of contact for all questions related to glass in Germany. 85% of the glass manufacturing companies in Germany have joined BV Glas.

One of its prime tasks is to provide users and decision-makers from industry, skilled crafts and trade, but also opinion-leaders from science, research, politics, media as well as consumers with important information on the German glass industry and the material that is glass.

Beyond this, BV Glas represents its members’ interests at the public level. It takes care of coordination and alignment when it comes to working out joint national or international standards for the glass sector, for example. Furthermore, the umbrella organisation of the German glass producing industry acts as an important national and international representative in all relevant fields of economic policy.