The international multi-stakeholder programme has pledged to introduce new standardised certifications, cut emissions, and drive circularity, with backing from the industry’s biggest firms.
Announced today, Thursday 4th December 2025, Responsible Glass is made up of the world’s largest glass developers and producers. Packaging giants, responsible for making the protective materials that allow glass to be transported, are also involved.
ARUP, Ciner Glass, Belron, Climate Group, IRMA, NSG, and Stara Group are among the founding members. Meanwhile, supporters include the Association for Responsible Mining and Jaguar Land Rover. These companies and organisations collectively employ more than 150,000 people within the glass sector.
The organisation is spearheaded by its Chair, Francis Sullivan, who was previously Head of Sustainability at HSBC and Alan Knight. Billed as a ‘multi-stakeholder, not-for-profit standards and certification programme for the responsible low-carbon production of glass’, the initiative has made a number of pledges. These include:
- Develop transparent, auditable standards for low-carbon glass production.
- Drive improvements in emissions reduction, circularity, worker safety, and sourcing practices.
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Introduce a trusted certification mark for responsibly sourced and manufactured glass.
‘Driving social and environmental change in the glass industry requires an approach which values industry knowledge, social and environmental expertise, openness, trust and a forum where decisions are not only transparent but also equitable,’ said Sullivan.
‘This multi-stakeholder approach, tried and tested in the steel and forestry sectors, will be pivotal for driving this change,’ he continued. ‘Our membership will be the driving force and the foundation for this initiative, and we’re so proud to have companies from across the glass supply chain who are with us today and already working with us to make this change happen.’
Glass is a crucial material in a number of industries, not least transport and the built environment, which respectively account for around one-fifth and one-third of carbon emissions. Glass alone produces an estimated 95million tonnes of CO2e, a figure which Responsible Glass aims to bring down significantly.
‘This initiative represents a significant step toward global standards for responsibly produced glass, advancing sustainability and transparency in line with NSG Group’s long-term carbon neutrality commitment,’ said Munehiro Hosonuma, CEO of NSG Group.
Image: Christian Ladewig / Unsplash
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