The Glass & Glazing Federation (GGF) has called for high-performance glazing to play a greater role in UK housing retrofit and fuel poverty policy, highlighting its potential to reduce energy demand, lower household bills and support British manufacturing.
The message was delivered at the UK Glass & Glazing Collective Parliamentary Reception at the Palace of Westminster on 9 September, where representatives from across the glass and glazing sector came together with parliamentarians and stakeholders to discuss the industry's contribution to economic growth, energy efficiency, reindustrialisation and net zero.
Speaking at the event, Chris Beedel, Head of Government Advocacy at the GGF and Chair of the UK Glass & Glazing Collective, said the sector has an important role to play in addressing some of the major economic, environmental and social challenges facing the UK.
Central to the GGF's message was the need to consider the energy performance of the UK's building stock alongside investment in low-carbon heating technologies.
Chris highlighted the impact of inefficient windows on heat loss and argued that improving the fabric of homes should form part of a coordinated approach to reducing energy consumption.
He said: “Every high-performance modern glazing system represents lower energy demand, lower carbon emissions, greater comfort, and lower household bills.”
The GGF is calling for high-efficiency glazing to be placed at the heart of housing retrofit and fuel poverty policy, with greater recognition of the contribution modern glazing can make to improving the performance of the UK's ageing building stock.
Chris told attendees that greater investment in high-performance glazing could support households while creating opportunities throughout the UK glass and glazing supply chain.
He added: “High efficiency glazing must be put at the heart of housing retrofit and fuel poverty policy and treated with the same strategic importance as insulation and other low-carbon technologies. This will help support British jobs, support British-made products, and support British homes.”
Building the case for policy change
The Parliamentary Reception also heard from Lord Foster, who has supported the sector's campaign for changes to the VAT treatment of energy-efficient glazing.
Lord Foster highlighted that double and triple glazing have been required to meet energy-efficiency requirements since 2002, while remaining outside the list of energy-saving materials benefiting from reduced VAT treatment. He called for continued collective engagement with policymakers to address the issue.
He also raised concerns surrounding Extended Producer Responsibility arrangements for packaging, particularly the implications of a weight-based approach for glass.
Lord Foster praised the creation of the UK Glass & Glazing Collective, which was founded in 2024 to bring organisations from across the sector together and strengthen engagement with government, opposition spokespeople and other stakeholders.
The GGF believes this collaborative approach can help policymakers develop a greater understanding of the contribution glass and glazing makes across housing, construction, energy efficiency and UK manufacturing.
Supporting British manufacturing and investment
The economic contribution of domestic glass manufacturing was also highlighted during the reception.
Dean Butler, President of British Glass and UK Operations Development Director for Ardagh Group, told attendees that the UK glass manufacturing industry directly employs around 6,000 highly skilled people across 19 manufacturing sites, generates approximately £2.3 billion and contributes around £750 million in GVA.
Dean outlined the importance of creating conditions that allow UK manufacturers to compete for international investment, including competitive energy costs, sufficient grid capacity, long-term policy certainty and support for the deployment of low-carbon technologies.
Technologies including electric melting, hybrid furnaces and hydrogen-ready production systems are already available, he said, with the opportunity now centred on creating the conditions required to deploy them at scale within the UK.
The event also saw Dean launch the Glass Charter, which calls for greater recognition and support for UK-manufactured glass.
The Charter is designed to champion domestic glass manufacturing and its contribution to skilled employment, UK supply chains, emissions reduction and future investment. Ministers, parliamentarians, peers and industry leaders were invited to demonstrate their support for its aims.
Creating the conditions for future growth
The reception also heard from Glass Futures, which highlighted the role glass plays across a wide range of strategically important sectors.
Applications extend across energy-efficient buildings, renewable energy, communications, healthcare, defence, aerospace, scientific research and advanced manufacturing.
Glass Futures identified four priorities for partnership between industry and government: internationally competitive industrial energy, long-term investment certainty, a renewed skills pipeline and support to move innovation from research and demonstration into full-scale industrial deployment.
Together, the speeches demonstrated the breadth of the sector and the connection between glass and glazing, economic growth, energy efficiency, domestic manufacturing and future technologies.
Government signals commitment to collaboration
Blair McDougall MP, Minister for Re-industrialisation, acknowledged the pressures facing the glass sector, including rising business costs, Extended Producer Responsibility and energy costs, while highlighting measures designed to support eligible glass businesses, including the British Industry Supercharger and the forthcoming British Industry Competitiveness Scheme.
The Minister also recognised the work of the GGF and British Glass in representing the sector's priorities to government and expressed his commitment to continued collaboration.
Blair said: “I want all our foundation industries to thrive. So, it will be my pleasure to work with you openly and collaboratively on the priorities that matter to you.”
For the GGF, the Parliamentary Reception provided an opportunity to take the priorities of the glass and glazing industry directly to policymakers and strengthen the case for greater recognition of high-performance glazing within national policy.
Chris concluded: “Today, I ask those gathered here to see glass as the opportunity, see it as UK manufacturing, see it as skilled jobs, see it as warmer homes, see it as lower bills, see it as innovation, see it as investment, and above all else, see it as growth.”
The GGF, working through the UK Glass & Glazing Collective, will continue engaging with government, Parliament and industry stakeholders to champion policies that support energy-efficient homes, British manufacturing, investment and long-term growth across the sector.
