Assessment on 5 key sustainability aspects

Another Cradle to Cradle Certified® Silver certification

Pilkington Netherlands, part of the NSG Group, has again achieved the prestigious Cradle to Cradle Certified® Silver certification for a wide range of insulating glass products in its recertification. And the company is proud of that!

Comprehensive and in-depth certification process

Cradle to Cradle Certified® certification applies to certification version 3.1. The certification system is a voluntary program that far exceeds European legal requirements. The certification evaluates the sustainability performance of business processes and products and assesses five key sustainability aspects: safe and healthy use of materials, circularity, clean air and climate protection, sustainable water and soil management, and social justice. 

Sustainability goals within the NSG Group

"Retaining the Silver certification for a wide range of our insulating glass products is confirmation of our ongoing efforts in sustainability and innovation in the glass industry," said Martijn Rietveld, commercial manager at Pilkington Netherlands. "We are determined to continue working toward our sustainability goals, as defined within Pilkington Netherlands as well as the entire NSG Group."

We are thus preparing for the more challenging C2C version 4.1on the basis of which the next recertification will take place. "The new version of the certification is very comprehensive, very detailed and goes deeply into business operations," said Gerrit Maring, Sustainability Coordinator at Pilkington Nederland. "It emphasizes the importance of concrete measures to reduce not only CO₂-emissions, but also to look much broader and include our supply chain partners as well. This means that not only our sites in the Netherlands, but also the production sites in Germany are assessed, as well as our suppliers and their products."

Future

The new standard is the guiding principle for the coming years and in part requires structural adjustments and conscious choices throughout the production chain. "This is why we started the Ecovadis program in 2021, to map, evaluate and improve the sustainability impact of our supply chain," Gerrit said. This ties in perfectly with developments within NSG Group, such as the makechange™ program, where all global and local sustainable initiatives are gathered and shared so that everyone can draw on each other's knowledge and experience. 

This recertification provides a solid foundation for cooperation with all sister companies and partners in the supply chain. "We strive to continuously improve ESG performance throughout the chain. This is largely supported by NSG Group's strategy on climate protection, CO²-reduction and making the construction chain more sustainable. This is how we strive for a positive impact on people and the environment. And we work towards the next level: Gold," Gerrit concludes.

About the NSG Group (Nippon Sheet Glass Co. Ltd., and its group companies) 

The NSG Group is the world's leading supplier of glass and glazing systems in the Architectural, Automotive and Creative Technology business sectors. In 2006, it acquired leading global glass supplier Pilkington, and today the group has significant operations worldwide and sales in more than 100 countries. The Architecture sector produces and supplies architectural glass and glass for solar and other industries. Automotive serves the original equipment (OE) and aftermarket replacement glass (AGR) markets. Creative Technology includes several separate businesses, including lenses and light guides for printers and scanners, and specialty fiberglass products such as glass cord for distribution belts and glass flakes
and fine glass products.