Energy and resource usage

In all our manufacturing and processing activities, we seek to use as diverse a range of energy sources as practicable. We continuously work to minimize energy input into all our processes, so that the usage of glass contributes net benefit to Sustainability.

Key message

We own or operate 49 float lines globally and have major automotive fabrication facilities in 31 locations worldwide. In response to the unprecedented global economic crisis, which began to affect our operations in mid-calendar year 2008, we announced a major restructuring of the Group. This began in January 2009 and was completed in March 2010. The objective was to reduce our production capacity to match customer demand.

The effect on our manufacturing base in 2009 was dramatic. Some of our float lines were put on hot hold (maintaining working temperature, but not producing glass). Others were mothballed (closed down with a view to restarting when markets improve). Our Automotive and Specialty Glass operations were similarly affected, with an unusual number of shutdowns and restarts. As we report our energy and resource usage on a calendar year basis, the full effects of this disruption in production are only now becoming evident in the following figures, which relate to calendar year 2009.

Initiatives to reduce resource usage

Sites were able to reduce consumption significantly to minimal levels commensurate with maintaining the safety of the plant. Consequently, absolute consumption was reduced in part due to lower production, but for the same reason specific consumption increased.

The automotive business has continued to follow an energy management system to deliver the identified 3-5 percent reduction in energy usage. The focus has been on auditing and benchmarking with identification and roll out of efficiency projects and best practices across the operations.

A number of focus projects were identified in key areas of high energy consumption, which typically require some significant investment to deliver targets. One example is improvements in heat recovery from the automotive furnace operations across the Group. This heat can be recovered from the furnace chimney utilizing heat exchangers to provide useful energy to other process areas.

In Europe, the downstream Business Products business has reduced its electricity consumption per IGU by over 15 percent. Overall water usage has reduced due to lower production volumes. A focus project to improve water management was carried out in San Salvo to increase the quantity of recycled water back into the process. The result was an average 60 percent improvement in water consumption efficiency.

Our energy usage

Natural gas

For both environmental and financial reasons and wherever possible, we use natural gas as the fuel of choice for glass melting. Natural gas emissions are discussed below, but from a production viewpoint the fuel is easy to control, does not usually demand a large investment in local storage and has generally proved relatively reliable in delivery.

We used 929 million cubic meters of natural gas in 2009. This equates approximately to 32.7 PJ of energy, a 10 percent reduction on the previous year.

Heavy fuel oil

Our second most utilized fuel is heavy fuel oil, readily available and relatively low cost. It is therefore used when gas is not available. It provides good heat transfer and is considered a good fuel for glass melting. Its principal disadvantages lie in the emissions caused during combustion, its physical characteristics and consequent difficulty in handling (e.g. it is very viscous at normal temperatures and therefore requires heated storage).

We used 282 million liters of heavy fuel oil in 2009, or 11.2 PJ; a 5 percent reduction on the previous year.

Diesel oil and liquid petroleum gas

The use of diesel oil and of liquid petroleum gas as fuels for float furnaces is generally limited by cost. Both are used as back-up fuels in case of the failure of the preferred fuel, natural gas. Diesel oil is also widely used to power small engines and boilers.

In 2009, our consumption of diesel oil was 22.5 million liters, or 0.8 PJ (down 56 percent on 2008) and that of liquid petroleum gas 9.7 k tonnes or 0.5 PJ (representing an 8 percent reduction on 2008).

Electricity

Electricity is a major resource usage for the Group. The environmental impact associated with electricity is, of course, dependent on the method used to generate it. During 2009, we consumed 8.0 PJ (2.2 TWh) of delivered electrical energy (a 13 percent reduction on 2008).

The total energy used by the NSG Group in 2009 was 53.17 PJ (14.77 TWh). This represents a 10 percent reduction on 2008.

Our resource usage

Renewable resources

Some electrical power is directly generated on-site from waste gases or using co-generation installations, In 2009, we received 236 GWh from combined heat and power.

We expect our usage of renewables to increase significantly over the next few years, with projects under way to install photovoltaic arrays and wind generation at some of our facilities.

Glass-making Raw Materials

In financial year 2009 NSG Group melted 3.6 million tonnes of silica sand, 1.1 million tonnes of sodium carbonate, 0.8 million tonnes of dolomite and 0.2 million tonnes of limestone.

Other resources

Timber

In Europe, much of our glass is transported on steel stillages without packaging utilizing specialist vehicles known as ‘Floatliners’.

Outside Europe, more of the glass is transported in boxes and containers, often made of wood. Although much of the timber we use comes from sustainable forestry, we are not yet in a position to be able to guarantee this worldwide and this remains an area for improvement.

We used 73,000 cubic meters of timber in 2009, mainly in the transportation of glass (down 29 percent on 2008).

Water

In the glass-making process, water is used for cooling, but the majority of our plants operate with closed loop systems and so only require top up. Water is also used for washing glass within the plants, but there the need is for very high purity, so water is treated and then reused.

Across the Group water consumption can vary considerably according to process and product demands as well as water quality. Typically, ~2m3 are required to manufacture 1 tonne of float glass. ~90 liters are required to process each square meter of automotive product.

We used a total of 19.9 million cubic meters of water in 2009 (6.7 million cubic meters from treated sources and 13.2 million cubic meters from natural and non-treated sources). This was a reduction of 18 percent on 2008 data, reflecting water-saving measures and a reduction in production.

Recycled glass

Some cullet (recycled glass) is bought in from external sources and remelted to form new glass, so closing the recycling loop. In 2009, we bought in 223,000 tonnes of cullet to supplement cullet from our own internal recycling.