Pilkington United Kingdom Limited, part of the NSG Group, is playing a significant role in making the regeneration of St Helens town centre more sustainable. As part of the first phase of redevelopment, the company helped recover glass from demolished structures and diverted it back into the manufacturing cycle, reducing waste and cutting carbon at a meaningful scale.
Working alongside main contractor Vinci Building, delivering the project on behalf of St Helens Borough Council and its regeneration partner ECF, a collaboration between Homes England, Muse and Legal & General, Pilkington UK oversaw the recovery of 7.34 tonnes of glass from buildings cleared to make way for the new scheme. This is equivalent to the yearly glass recycling output of around 150 households.
Instead of ending up in landfill, the material was processed through Pilkington’s renew:glass initiative. The recovered glass was sorted into cullet, a form that melts more efficiently and allows it to be remanufactured into new float glass. By doing so, the process achieved a carbon saving of 5.13 tonnes of CO₂e and reduced the need for 8.8 tonnes of raw materials.
The material was recovered from two major sites: the long-standing Hardshaw Centre and the town’s bus station, both key elements of early demolition works. Bradley Group supported the recovery by handling on-site collection and removal, while Pilkington UK provided guidance on safe extraction and coordinated the recycling process. 
This effort aligns closely with NSG Group’s Science Based Targets, which commit the company to cutting greenhouse gas emissions by 30% by 2030 and reaching carbon neutrality by 2050. It also demonstrates how collaboration between local authorities, contractors and manufacturers can turn sustainability ambitions into measurable outcomes.
The wider St Helens regeneration will deliver a new Market Hall, a Hampton by Hilton hotel, residential buildings and biodiversity-rich public spaces, supported by a £69.2 million funding package from the council. Together, these elements aim to revitalise the town centre while embedding sustainability at every stage, from design and material reuse to long-term environmental resilience.
Source: constructionmaguk.co.uk with additional information added by Glass Balkan
