Pilkington United Kingdom Limited started a new glass production line at its Greengate Works site in St. Helens, U.K., as part of a multi-million-dollar investment. The new rolled glass production line manufactures Pilkington U.K.’s Texture by Pilkington glass range.
The range’s production moved to Greengate Works from nearby Watson Street Works, which stopped production last year after two centuries of glassmaking. Officials say moving production will enable the company to save 15,000 tons of carbon emissions (CO2) annually.
“Texture by Pilkington has been manufactured by our team in St Helens since 1852, and we’re proud to continue that legacy with this new rolled glass line,” says Neil Syder, managing director of Pilkington U.K. “It represents a meaningful step forward, not just in securing the future of texture glass manufacturing, but in significantly lowering the carbon footprint of the range.”
Officials say that investing in the new line supports NSG Group’s sustainability goals, which include reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 compared to 2018 levels and achieving net zero by 2050.
“[The line’s] construction was an incredible feat of engineering,” adds Syder. “To build the new line, our team needed to break into the side of a live glass furnace, constructing a canal that takes glass away from our current float line to the new rolled glass line in a separate building. This work now enables us to manufacture all our glass from one furnace, which saves us 15,000 tons of CO2 per year: the equivalent of taking over 8,800 cars off the road for a year.”