ORIX and AGC develop Japan’s first window recycling scheme

 ORIX Group and AGC develop Japan’s first window glass recycling scheme

ORIX Corporation, ORIX Eco Services Corporation and AGC Inc. have announced that the three companies have developed Japan’s a horizontal recycling business scheme for waste window glass generated during renovation of condominiums and such.

In this partnership, waste disposal operator ORIX Eco Services will recover waste window glass and separate the frames; TRE Glass Corporation, which engages in the glass recycling, will refine the waste window glass into cullet (glass scraps) and confirm its quality; and AGC will use this cullet to manufacture new flat architectural glass. An economically sustainable system of horizontal recycling has been developed by applying each company’s strengths.

Currently, at least 500,000 tons of waste window glass are generated each year from buildings within Japan, most of which are disposed in landfill or reused as lower quality products through cascade recycling. This scheme, in addition to reducing industrial waste from window glass, will reduce the use of virgin raw materials and help lower the rate of raw material imports by increasing the rate of cullet use during the manufacturing of glass. In addition, as cullet can be melted at a lower temperature compared to virgin raw materials, this initiative will also contribute toward reducing greenhouse gas emissions in the manufacturing process.

Going forward, more partners will be encouraged to participate in this scheme, aiming to expand the scheme, and at the same time, studies will be conducted on the application of waste glass for solar panels, automobile window glass, and other non-architectural purposes.

ORIX Group and AGC will collaborate on working toward the realization of a circular economy that reduces impact on the environment by expanding the glass horizontal recycling business.