Saint-Gobain Glass UK & Ireland has announced a major step forward in reducing the embodied carbon of its flat glass production, with its Planiclear® float glass now manufactured with a significantly lower carbon footprint as standard at the company’s Eggborough plant near Goole, United Kingdom.

The updated Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) confirms that 4 mm Planiclear glass achieves a Global Warming Potential (GWP) of 7.22 kgCO₂e per square metre. The new figure represents a reduction of more than 34% compared with the previous EPD, positioning Planiclear among the lowest embodied carbon standard float glass products currently manufactured in the UK.

According to Saint-Gobain Glass UK & Ireland, the improvement is not the result of a temporary trial, limited production campaign, or specific customer order. Instead, the lower-carbon performance reflects the company’s regular manufacturing process and applies to Planiclear supplied every day.

The reduction has been achieved through Saint-Gobain’s wider decarbonisation strategy, combining increased glass recycling, reduced dependence on virgin raw materials, improved energy efficiency, and greater use of renewable energy. These measures form part of the company’s Glass Forever circular economy approach, which aims to increase closed-loop recycling within the flat glass sector.

The Eggborough facility produces approximately 13 miles of flat glass every day, making the transition significant for the UK construction market. By lowering the carbon footprint of its standard float glass substrate, Saint-Gobain enables manufacturers, façade specialists, and construction companies to reduce embodied carbon without additional product costs or changes to performance.

The new EPDs are now available across all Planiclear thicknesses as well as Sapphire Blue glass. Saint-Gobain also confirmed that UK coated and laminated glass products will benefit from the lower-carbon substrate, with supporting EPDs expected later in 2026.