Glass industry leaders launch Responsible Glass sustainability certification

Responsible Glass, a new international standards and certification program focused on responsible and low-carbon glass production, has been launched with backing from some of the world’s largest glass manufacturers, mining companies, packaging firms, and automotive brands. The not-for-profit initiative aims to reduce carbon emissions, strengthen supply chain transparency, and establish unified sustainability requirements across the global glass industry.

Glass manufacturing produces 95 million metric tons of carbon dioxide each year, yet the sector has operated without a common sustainability framework. Responsible Glass was created to address this gap by developing transparent and auditable standards that cover emissions reduction, circularity, worker safety, and sourcing practices. The program will also introduce a certification mark for responsibly produced and sourced glass.

The initiative is led by Francis Sullivan, former Head of Sustainability at HSBC, and Alan Knight, Chief Sustainability Officer at WE Soda and former Head of Sustainability at Responsible Steel. According to the organization, its multi-stakeholder model draws on approaches used successfully in other heavy industries.

Founding members include ARUP, Belron, Ciner Glass, Climate Group, DSS+, the Initiative for Responsible Mining Assurance, NSG Group, Stara Glass, and WE Soda. Supporters include the Alliance for Responsible Mining, Cary Group, Jaguar Land Rover, and ERM CVS.

Companies across the flat glass, container glass, and specialty glass sectors are expected to participate as the program develops its global standards. Executive leaders from several founding members emphasized that broad collaboration will be essential to advancing transparency and driving long-term decarbonization in the glass value chain.