Glass body urges EU action on construction waste

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Trade body Glass for Europe has urged Brussels to prioritise closed-loop recycling of construction waste.

The organisation, which represents flat-glass producers, called for policy to boost flagging demand for the material.

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“The European flat glass sector is key to achieving the EU’s decarbonisation goals,” it said in a report. “Its products help to improve the energy efficiency of buildings, support the transition to clean mobility and contribute to efficient renewable solar energy generation.”

But the paper warned: “The sector is currently facing serious competitiveness challenges, exacerbated by high energy costs and a significant decline in demand from the construction and automotive sectors.”

Almost a fifth of the EU’s flat-glass production capacity had been shut down over the last 10 months, according to the report.

Flat glass is fully recyclable, said the organisation, but the sector needed “bold policy choices” to survive.

Recommendations included prioritising the recovery of the construction industry and ecosystem in the EU’s Clean Industrial Deal.

MEPs must also “ensure the circularity and closed-loop recycling of construction waste is central to the Circular Economy Act,” added the report.