The fifth NSG Group Environmental Project Award has been awarded to the VFG (Vietnam Float Glass) site for their ‘Reduction of waste hot water for glass washing’ project.
This project reduces consumption of heated water for the washing of the float glass by interrupting the water spray through gaps between glass sheets on the line. Overall, the judges agreed that the project stood out as a worthy winner.
The judging panel also made the following four Commendations:
- Gelsenkirchen site, Architectural Glass, Germany - ‘Cooling water treatment with Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) reactor’
Hazardous biocidal chemicals were replaced in an open water-cooling circuit with less hazardous Chlorine dioxide (ClO2) reactor.
- VGI Float, Architectural Glass, Vietnam - ‘Glass dust re-use by a glassware manufacturer’
The project team identified a glassware manufacturer in Northern Vietnam that can re-use VGI glass dust and dirty cullet in their glass line. This reduces waste sent to the landfill.
- Collingwood site, Automotive OE, Canada - ‘Electricity Peak Shaving Project’
The site stores electric power in a ten megawatt-hour battery to reduce demand for electrical peaks. The project represents five megawatts of power that the province of Ontario no longer needs to produce in their natural gas fired power stations.
- Automotive AGR Brazil Service Centre - ‘Reverse Logistics for replaced Glass’
The team implemented this challenging project to find local partners which are capable of recycling replaced (broken) glazing parts from Glass Replacement customers.
In total, 60 entries were presented to the judging panel who after very serious consideration selected these five projects. There were projects regarding energy, water, hazardous materials, waste and recycling - all critical for the environment and therefore for the NSG Group.
The final decision criteria focused on the significance of the reduction of environmental impact, innovation, wider employee involvement and transferability. It was felt that the winning projects should certainly take the Company beyond regulatory requirements and lead to a better overall performance.