The glass reduces carbon footprint approximately by 40%, says Saint-Gobain India Pvt. Ltd, Glass Business Managing Director A.R. Unnikrishnan.
Saint-Gobain India is betting on renewable energy, natural gas and hydrogen to produce products with lower-embodied carbon footprint in a bid to achieve Net Zero by 2050, according to a top official.
As the first step in this direction, the Indian subsidiary of the French multinational firm on Tuesday announced the commencement and introduction of the first set of new glass with low-carbon footprint from its World Glass Complex at Sriperumbudur, near here.
“It is India’s first low-carbon glass. It reduces carbon footprint approximately by 40% compared to our existing products,” said its MD, Glass Business, A.R. Unnikrishnan during an interaction.
Mr. Unnikrishnan said that such performance could be reached due to use of two-third recycled content as raw material, natural gas and electricity from renewable energy sources.
“This product from Saint-Gobain will accelerate the country’s vision of achieving Net Zero by 2070 and actively contribute to light and sustainable construction. However, within the group, we will try to achieve Net Zero by 2050,” he said.
Talking about Net Zero goal, he said that the furnace in Sriperumbudur, which is being run on natural gas instead of furnace oil, would shift to hydrogen in a progressive manner.
“We are trying to do a pilot in the next few months. Even though it is not economically viable, we will still go ahead with it. We will tie up with another institution for hydrogen,” he said.
Saint-Gobain needs about 65 MW of power to run its production sites in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat and Rajasthan. “By end-2023, 60% of our power needs will be met through renewable energy sources (wind and solar) and this would be enhanced to 100% by 2026. Melting is done using natural gas,” he said.
Asserting that the low-carbon glass would be priced higher, he said: “It is not for mass market, but a B2B product and would be sold to large developers, IT firms and others with a specific need for developing green buildings.
The plant can produce low-carbon glass in thickness ranging from 2mm for automotive applications to 12mm for building applications. Currently, 6mm thickness glass is being produced in single batch.
To a question on exports, he said that they would try to meet the requirements of the domestic market first. Currently, exports account for 10% of the India unit’s total revenue of ₹12,300 crore for CY22.
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