For us, appreciation is the key to sustainable living.
The protection of nature is particularly close to our hearts. For us, sustainability means the conscious handling and use of existing resources, the minimisation of energy consumption and the preservation of our environment.
Glass renovation geared towards sustainability does not only mean the use of new and recyclable materials, but also the reduction of energy requirements or the avoidance of high transport costs through the conscious decision to renovate.
Our process is environmentally friendly and can save a lot of energy and many raw materials. You are practising sustainable environmental protection when you decide in favour of glass renovation. We dispense with all environmentally harmful materials for the sake of nature.
Weil jedes Glas eine zweite Chance verdient
und mit jeder Chance wächst eine grünere Zukunft
#ProtectingTomorrowToday
Glass recycling serves the environment in many ways
In Germany, glass manufacturers produced around 7.471 million tonnes (mt) of glass in 2016. Container glass was made from 3.960 million tonnes (t) and flat glass from 2.116 million tonnes (t). Around 392,500 tonnes (t) were used to produce special glasses
for households, research and industry. Waste glass can be melted down several times and used to manufacture new glass products. Such reuse of materials is environmentally sound and can save a lot of energy and many raw materials if disposed of properly.
New glass is obtained by melting quartz sand, lime, soda and other additives. About 1.2 tonnes are consumed per tonne of raw glass. The use of these natural raw material resources will be reduced and almost completely replaced by the use of waste glass.
Thus, natural resources are conserved, energy consumption is reduced (1/3 of energy can be saved) and emissions are reduced.
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(Sources: www.umweltbundesamt.de; article GlasundAltglas 06.10.2020, https://www.baunetzwissen.de; article Recycling von Glas)
Sand - The underestimated raw material
Sand - a global raw material in short supply
The underestimated raw material
Everyone talks about oil and water. Yet sand, probably the most underestimated raw material, is highly contested. Sand is the most used raw material after water. We use so much of this raw material that it could become scarce in the future. Sand is now a component of many everyday products, more so than petroleum.
Even glass consists of 75% sand.
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The concrete industry has the greatest need for sand, because reinforced concrete consists of two-thirds sand. Given this demand, sand has become a resource of critical importance in recent years.
Everyone thinks it is "sand by the sea" - but not all sand is the same. Desert sand, is unsuitable for the construction industry. The grains are too smooth and round. In contrast, sand from the seabed can be used for many things. Above all, its texture and surface make it universally applicable.
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The effects of illegal sand mining remain hidden. When sand is sucked from the seabed, a large number of living organisms are killed. Fishermen lose their livelihoods and about 100 million people living on low-lying islands lose their habitat. This is because digging up the sea sand means that no more sand is washed up on the coasts - sand that is actually used to build protective embankments against rising sea levels. Worldwide, 15 billion tonnes are extracted from nature every year - on land, on or in the sea.
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According to estimates by the UN Environment Programme (UNEP), between 75 and 95 per cent of all beaches worldwide are disappearing.
Since sand is a finite resource, politics and industry must act urgently. In order to conserve sand as a resource, research is therefore being conducted into recycling methods, for example with glass and above all concrete.
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In Germany, 90 percent of all demolition materials are reused.
Above all, glass recycling holds great potential for saving sand. After all, every window pane, every bottle, every glass contains the raw material sand.
Sand must not be regarded as a free raw material. Strict laws are needed to regulate and control the extraction of sand.
The machinations of the sand industry should be brought even more into the public consciousness to make clear that the world is facing a social and ecological catastrophe. As long as no alternatives for concrete construction, the supply will continue to be exploited.
At its core, sustainability is about minimising energy and resources.
As a matter of principle, you should give preference to glass refurbishment, because the core ideas of sustainability include recycling, secondary use and extension of the service life within a reasonable framework - also for glass.
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In the long term, glass renovation is ecologically compatible, economically convincing and energy-efficient.
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With the decision of a glass renovation, you make a significant contribution to sustainable building, as it protects the environment by reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions of buildings for many decades.
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