GOING FOR GREEN

Post-consumer glass recycling, a green funding initiative, and making use of waste products through upcycling are  some of the measures Morley Glass & Glazing is taking to become a greener and more sustainable business.The sealed unit manufacturer that specialises in integral blinds has created a new brochure and new sustainability area of its website to illustrate its green credentials and also help demonstrate to other manufacturers how they too could become more sustainable and support their local communities.Ian Short, managing director at Morley Glass & Glazing said: “We still have a long way to go in our green journey but we hope that by sharing our experiences we’ll be able to inspire others to do the same. As a profitable and successful company, we’ve always believed in giving back and supporting local communities and good causes through donations and sponsorship. We also aim to improve our own environmental sustainability within the factory, as well as finance the creation of new environmental projects in our local area with our newly launched green fund.”Glass recyclingMorley Glass & Glazing recently teamed up with Saint-Gobain Glass to recycle post-consumer glass free of charge for installers and other tradespeople, helping to divert glass from old windows from landfill. A glass crushing machine has been installed at Morley’s factory in Leeds to crush glass from the manufacturing process (pre-consumer glass) and glass that has been taken out of old windows that have reached the end of their life (post-consumer glass). The cullet is then returned to Saint-Gobain Glass to be re-used in the manufacture of new float glass.Morley is then donating the money from the scheme to local good causes that focus on green projects such as sensory gardens, community or school allotments, nature reserves and other environmental initiatives. The scheme could see up to £50,000 per year being donated to green initiatives.Ian Short says: “It seems such a waste for our vans to return empty after delivering our sealed units with integral blinds inside throughout the UK, so why not encourage our customers to pack them full of old windows and doors that they are replacing. This saves our customers the cost and inconvenience of disposing of them to landfill or other commercial recycling schemes that will levy a charge for the service. We will then separate the metal and frames from the glass and ensure each element is recycled and re-used as fully as possible.”Using one tonne of cullet saves 1.2 tonnes of raw material, including 850kg of sand; reducing CO2 emissions by approximately 300kg. To date the scheme has generated 131 tonnes of cullet and saved 40,000kg of CO2 emissions.Mirrored, lacquered and coated glass can all be returned and used in the manufacturing process. As cullet takes less energy to process than raw materials, this benefits both Saint-Gobain Glass and the environment.UpcyclingAlso, as a UK manufacturer there are a number of sustainable resources from Morley’s supply chain which can be easily upcycled to create environmentally friendly products. These include glass offcuts which are made into pieces of art, coasters and decorations, and wooden packaging boxes which have been turned into time capsules, treasure chests and memory boxes, toy boxes and display cases – some of which are then sold and the money raised donated to charity.Investing in the local communityBut being sustainable isn’t all about reducing, reusing and recycling resources. It’s also about being a good corporate citizen, giving something back and supporting your local community. Every year Morley Glass sponsors a wide range of grass roots sports clubs, dance societies, festivals, youth clubs and other local and national charities. From donations and long-term sponsorship deals to hosting fund-raising events and physically lending a hand to refurbish and regenerate local community facilities, Morley is making a real difference to disadvantaged individuals and groups in the local area and beyond.Ian Short adds: “A business is only sustainable if it is effective and efficient, and respectful of thecommunities in which it operates. This includes the business environment – sustaining jobs and delivering valued products and services to its customers; and also giving back to society by conserving environmental resources as well as supporting organisations that help the most vulnerable in our society. I feel it’s our duty and honour to help others where we can.”Download Morley Glass & Glazing’s sustainability brochure at www.morleyglass.co.uk/sustainability.