Opening Ceremony of the International Year of Glass 2022

Under the title of “Celebrating the past, present and future of glass for a sustainable, equitable and better tomorrow!” the International Year of Glass 2022 (IOYG) began with the opening ceremony at the Palace of Nations in Geneva on February 10th. A chance for the glass industry to show the many advantages of windows in buildings.

Mrs. Alicia Durán, chair of the IOYG2022, opened the ceremony and welcomed the attendees to the “age of glass”. Invented by accident after a campfire on a beach by merchants, glass began its march across the world. Traded from Egypt to China, from Iran to Europe it is not possible to think about a world without glass.

The IYOG showcases the many ways glass can be used in improving our daily life but especially how glass can be used to reach the sustainability goals the United Nation and European Union have set for 2030. Here glass in buildings, foremost windows, is in the focus to help decarbonizing the building stock. This is needed as 40% of the CO2 emissions come from buildings. While some emissions are produced during the construction phase around 28% of the emissions are results from the day-to-day use of the building, mainly by heating and cooling systems.

In order to reduce the CO2, optimizing the building envelope should be the first priority along with the Energy Efficiency First Principle when planning or renovating a building. Glazed windows are a good way of reaching those goals resulting in a reduced needs for heating and cooling. Once installed windows do not produce more carbon emissions. Glass is non-toxic, up to 100% recyclable and when used in buildings as windows providing better health for occupants by giving daylight, natural ventilation and more. The latter aspects become increasingly important as people spent more and more time indoors and a healthy indoor climate is not a “comfort” aspect but necessary for the well-being of the occupants. EuroWindoor advocates for more sustainability in the building sector and healthier buildings for the people to live in and is excited for the IYOG2022 in hope to bring more awareness to these issues.

For further information please see:

International Year of Glass 2022      
EuroWindoor on benefits of windows and glazed areas

Press Contact:

Miriam Weppler
EuroWindoor General Secretariat
Walter-Kolb-Str. 1-7
60594 Frankfurt / Germany
Phone: +49 (69) 95 50 54 – 36
Fax: +49 (69) 95 50 54 – 11
Email: GS@EuroWindoor.eu

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