Silica & Glass Briefing, 18 September 2026: NSG and AGC Close Japan's Glass Recycling Loops
A quiet week on raw materials and a busy one on circularity. NSG remelted recovered tempered glazing into new float glass at Chiba, AGC and Obayashi opened a route from demolition glass back to clear float, and Close the Glass Loop launched in Bulgaria. Vetropack set out a 2035 strategy and Duralex drew three binding bids.
NSG completed a float-to-float recycling trial at its Chiba plant, remelting 12 mm ceramic-printed tempered glass recovered from a University of Tokyo building into new float glass, with off-spec material diverted to glass wool. The work was carried out with the Flat Glass Manufacturers Association of Japan.
AGC and Obayashi started what they describe as Japan's first route from demolition glass back to clear float, beginning with the teardown of the MUFG Bank head office; recovered cullet is routed to AGC's Kashima plant.
Chinese solar glass prices reversed in August after six consecutive monthly declines, with 2.0 mm single-coated at RMB 10.5/m² and 3.2 mm at RMB 17–19/m². Operating daily melt capacity is down from 89,700 t/d to 75,800 t/d, 7,750 t/d of it cold-repaired in June and July alone, and inventory days are 14 % below peak — a supply-side move rather than a demand signal.
Markets & Prices
Solar glass prices turned higher in August after six consecutive monthly declines, with two increases inside the month. 2.0 mm single-coated is quoted at RMB 10.5/m² and 3.2 mm at RMB 17–19/m². Operating daily melt capacity has fallen from 89,700 t/d to 75,800 t/d, including 7,750 t/d taken down for cold repair in June and July, and inventory days are 14 % below peak. The move is supply-led, not demand-led.
Duralex received three binding offers ahead of the 11 September deadline — from the Tomé Group, the Carlesimo Group and AA Investments (Hong Kong). The commercial court in Orléans was set to hear the case on 17 September to fix the examination schedule.
Jiangsu Pacific Quartz's high-purity quartz qualified for 300 mm DRAM production at a Chinese fab, reported by TrendForce to be CXMT — the first Chinese material to clear that bar beyond equipment consumables. Crucible grade at 9N–11N remains effectively limited to Sibelco and The Quartz Corp out of Spruce Pine, so the structural chokepoint in the quartz chain is unchanged.
No dated silica sand pricing or supply commentary surfaced in the window — the searchable material was evergreen vendor market-report pages. The Chinese cold repairs and the cullet loops below are the week's raw-material signal.
Technology & Innovation
NSG closed the float-to-float loop in trials at its Chiba plant, making new float glass from 12 mm ceramic-printed tempered glass recovered from a University of Tokyo building, with off-spec material diverted to glass wool. The company describes it as horizontal recycling; the work was carried out with the Flat Glass Manufacturers Association of Japan.
AGC and Obayashi launched a recycling initiative they describe as Japan's first loop from demolition glass back to clear float, starting with the teardown of the MUFG Bank head office. Recovered glass is routed as cullet to AGC's Kashima plant.
Saint-Gobain appointed Annica Hagen Chief Artificial Intelligence Officer and placed the role on the Group Executive Committee with effect from 1 September, consolidating local AI work under its "Lead & Grow" framework.
The pre-glasstec product wave began: Glaston on automation, TUROMAS on storage, loading and cutting, LiSEC on order-to-delivery software, Uniglass on EVA lamination, and LiteSentry's Osprey®25 inspection upgrade all previewed lines ahead of the October fair.
Kuraray brought its Trosifol SkyViera interlayer to market for illuminated automotive roof glazing.
Regulation & Sustainability
British Glass launched a "Back British-made Glass" Charter at a parliamentary reception on 16 September. It is a voluntary pledge rather than a procurement mandate, and was presented against a stated £2bn annual economic contribution and more than 120,000 jobs, with the 2025 closure of Electric Glass Fiber UK cited as the backdrop.
The Glass and Glazing Federation asked Parliament to place high-performance glazing alongside insulation and heat pumps in retrofit policy, to cut VAT on double and triple glazing, and to revisit weight-based extended producer responsibility assessments that it argues penalise glass.
Close the Glass Loop opened a Bulgarian platform, coordinated by Ecobulpack with FEVE and BA Glass. Bulgaria reports 84 % collection for recycling against the EU's 90 %-by-2030 target.
On construction glass, industry specialists framed the bottleneck as deployment rather than process — "implementation is the problem rather than technology" — while FunGlass advanced its EVERGLASS recycling project.
Silicosis: no new crystalline-silica rulemaking landed this week. California's engineered-stone proceeding remains the live thread.
Companies & Projects
Vetropack set out Strategy 2035 at its first Capital Markets Day, targeting above-market sales growth by 2030 and a return to a double-digit operating margin, with low- and no-alcohol, food and premium wine named as focus segments. Pöchlarn is being prepared for industrial-scale production of Rezon, a thermally tempered reusable bottle the company says is up to 30 % lighter and good for significantly more cycles.
Horn Glass signed with Turkmenistan's Ministry of Industry and Construction Manufacturing for a cold repair and modernisation. Value and capacity were not disclosed.
Şişecam ran a two-fair automotive push at Auto Glass Week and Automechanika, showing head-up display and ADAS glazing alongside solar-control and heated glass.
Apogee's acquisition of GroGlass, worth up to €62.5m, circulated widely in the trade press on 11 September; the transaction itself was announced on 2 September, just outside this window.
Smaller moves: Encirc named a commercial director, and Croxsons is launching a PVC-free twist-off cap for UK food manufacturers.