Emirates Float Glass (EFG), a subsidiary of Dubai Investments and the first state-of-the-art integrated float glass facility in the UAE, has won the prestigious Emirates Appreciation for the Environment Award 2015, in recognition of its environmentally-safe production practices.

EFG has been recognised for achieving the lowest carbon footprint among factories across the region – the company’s carbon footprint level of 553 grammes of carbon dioxide emission per kilogramme of glass is among the best global ratings.

The Emirates Appreciation award, conferred under the patronage of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, is a bi-annual recognition by Zayed International Foundation for Environment, which promotes sustainable living and environmentally conscious initiatives in the UAE.

The award is divided into five categories and EFG won the recognition for its environment-friendly initiatives in the Small and Medium industries category. A total of 120 nominations were received by the Awards Committee, out of which 79 made it to the next stage before the final winners were selected.

Ghassan Mashal, EFG general manager, said the award win is a testimony to EFG’s contribution and commitment to sustainable development. "Since its inception, EFG has adopted green initiatives in the production processes, which not only offer environmental benefits but has also led to economic value, through decreased cost of waste disposal, and enhanced access to energy thus lowering the overall production costs."
 
EFG, he stated, was committed to its unique Carbon Management Programme since 2012, which covers all aspects of the company’s manufacturing unit, be it the use of chemicals, disposal of industrial waste and air pollution levels, thus maintaining its balanced efforts to achieve sustainable development and upholding responsibilities towards all stakeholders including the community.

The float glass produced by EFG contains between 59 and 67 per cent regional raw material, which is in line with the international sustainability requirements. Additionally, EFG uses 6.2 per cent post-consumer recycled materials for production.
 
Mashal said the EFG facility, which is equipped with state-of-the-art machines from Europe, US and Japan, had achieved a 100 per cent capacity utilisation, the highest benchmark for efficiency levels worldwide.

The hi-tech manufacturing unit currently holds a production capacity of 600 tonnes of clear molten glass per day and over 190,000 tonnes of glass products per year, he added.-TradeArabia News Service