Şişecam will host the 40th edition of its International Glass Conference on June 18–19 at the Raffles Istanbul Hotel, bringing together more than 350 experts from the global glass and materials ecosystem. The event, held in a hybrid format, continues its long-standing role as a leading international platform for technical exchange, research dissemination, and industry collaboration.

Celebrating 50 years of R&D activity, Şişecam positions this year’s conference under the theme “United to Innovate: A Future-Focused Transformation of Energy & Glass,” reflecting the sector’s urgent focus on decarbonization, energy efficiency, and scalable industrial innovation. The program is designed to bridge fundamental research with industrial application, highlighting how emerging technologies move from laboratory development to commercial deployment.

A key highlight will be the keynote address by Dr. Fatih Birol, Executive Director of the International Energy Agency (IEA), who will examine the impact of the global energy transition on heavy industry, particularly energy-intensive manufacturing such as glass production. He is expected to address policy frameworks, investment needs, and pathways to low-carbon industrial systems.

Another keynote will be delivered by Davide Cappellino, President of AGC Architectural Glass Europe & Americas and Chairman of Glass for Europe, focusing on competitiveness, sustainability regulation, and innovation pressures in the European flat glass sector. Architect Murat Tabanlıoğlu will also present insights into architectural glass applications and spatial design evolution.

Panel discussions will explore topics such as innovation scaling challenges, the “valley of death” in industrial R&D, startup–corporate collaboration models, and acceleration ecosystems. Additional sessions will address AI-driven manufacturing, smart glass technologies, and advanced decarbonization strategies.