After being awarded the honour by the UN in May 2021, the year will celebrate the pivotal role glass has in society while shining a light on its many applications and the vastly different sectors that make up the global glass industry.
As part of the celebrations British Glass will be hosting the annual Recycling Summit in March and the Glass Focus Awards in November and using the prestigious year to continue discussions on the UK sector’s route to net zero carbon emissions and the barriers preventing it.
Alongside this, Glass Technology Services has partnered with the Materials Matrix to produce a series of webinars, panels and events throughout the year on a number of topics including diversity, innovation and the future of glass.
British Glass CEO Dave Dalton said:
“The International Year of Glass provides the global glass industry with a unique opportunity to really celebrate everything that makes our industry so innovative and forward-thinking.
“From the tough, thin and flexible glass on our phone and tablet screens and the windows that bring light and retain warmth in our homes to the food and beverage containers in our cupboards and beyond, glass plays a vital, but often overlooked part of our everyday lives. This is why an occasion such as this is provides a perfect opportunity to showcase what it is that makes glass so great.
“I look forward to collaborating with members across our entire sector over the course of this year to celebrate and use the opportunity afforded to us by the UN, to raise the profile of glass and its panacea applications”
The International Year of Glass opening ceremony will take place in Geneva on February 8 and 9 with a vast array of speakers from academia, industry and beyond.