NSG Group, the Japanese owner of Pilkington, has launched Pilkington Mirai Øne, a new architectural glass product developed to offer a lower-carbon option for the construction sector. The company said the product delivers more than 35% less embodied carbon than its standard float glass and is intended to support environmentally conscious material selection across the built environment. The introduction forms part of the group’s broader sustainability strategy, which includes investment in alternative fuel trials, carbon capture technologies designed to reduce furnace emissions, and recycling initiatives carried out through its makechange platform.
The new lower-carbon float glass has been developed by increasing the proportion of recycled content used in manufacturing, reducing dependence on virgin raw materials while incorporating additional decarbonisation measures outlined in the company’s roadmap. According to Pilkington, the product maintains the same standards of aesthetics, quality and performance as conventional float glass when coated, laminated or subjected to further processing. The company said the glass can also contribute to lower emissions through its application in coated systems and insulated glazing units (IGUs), helping project teams reduce the environmental footprint of buildings throughout their operational lifespan.
Pilkington Mirai Øne builds on the company’s Pilkington Mirai range, introduced in 2023 and described as the architectural glass market’s lowest embodied carbon float glass at the time, with a 52% reduction in embodied carbon. While Pilkington Mirai remains targeted at projects pursuing more ambitious carbon-reduction objectives, the new product is positioned as a more accessible alternative that combines meaningful emissions reductions with broader flexibility for specification and procurement. The company said the offering allows architects, contractors and specifiers to choose a lower-carbon option while maintaining expected availability and performance characteristics.
The product is currently undergoing the process of obtaining a verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). It is designed to support embodied carbon benchmarks associated with sustainability frameworks including LEED and BREEAM, while also aligning with evolving regulatory requirements such as the Energy Performance of Buildings Directive, which is placing greater emphasis on transparency around embodied carbon in construction materials. Commenting on the launch, Kristian Chalmers, global strategic commercial manager at the NSG Group, said: “The drive to cut embodied carbon is accelerating across the construction industry and building materials like glass are central to that transformation. With Pilkington Mirai Øne we’re expanding the Pilkington Mirai family to deliver a solution that meets the industry’s growing need for lower carbon materials that are not only effective, but also readily available.” She added: “This launch represents a meaningful step forward – part of a broader commitment to helping the built environment deliver on their sustainability goals, without compromising on real-world project demands.” The lower-carbon float glass product is intended to support those objectives across a wider range of building projects.