Cradle to Cradle Certified® Residential Glass Products
In 2008, as PPG Glass, Vitro Architectural Glass became the first U.S. glass manufacturer to have its entire collection of architectural glass products recognized by the Cradle to Cradle Certified®
Products Program. Today, Vitro Glass’ product selection is Cradle to Cradle® Bronze certified.
Today, the green building movement is embracing a holistic view of sustainable building products that assesses their impact on the environment throughout their entire life cycle. Based on this principle,
the Cradle to Cradle Certified® Product Standard was developed by William McDonough, FAIA (an architect) and Michael Braungart, Ph.D. (a chemist) to
encourage the development of products with materials that can be endlessly recycled, as they are in the natural world. The company they founded, MBDC (McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry), is the sole
administrator of the Cradle to Cradle Certified® program.
How Cradle to Cradle® Certification is Earned
Products seeking to be Cradle to Cradle Certified® are evaluated according to five criteria:
- Material Health: The environmental and human health impact of the materials
- Material Reutilization: The capacity of those materials to be recovered and reutilized
- Renewable Energy & Carbon Management: The amount and kind of energy used in their manufacturing
- Water Stewardship: How water is used and how water quality maintained in the manufacturing process
- Social Fairness: How the manufacturing company practices fair business principles and corporate ethics through interaction with customers and employees
All the residential glass products manufactured by Vitro glass were Cradle to Cradle Certified® Silver after a thorough audit of the materials used in their formulation and production,
the processes used to manufacture them and Vitro glass; commitment to sustainability.
Benefits of Cradle to Cradle® Certification
As green building practices continue to evolve, architects and home/building owners are seeking new ways to minimize the environmental impact of buildings and contribute to healthier ecosystems.
One way to achieve those objectives is through the use of products, such as glass products by Vitro Glass, that are Cradle to Cradle Certified®.
Cradle to Cradle Certified® products can also contribute to Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED® certification) for commercial buildings and homes.
According to the U.S. Green Building Certification Institute (GBCI), building products can earn LEED credits for Material & Resources in LEED v4 by using at least 20
Cradle to Cradle Certified® products or if Cradle to Cradle® products represent at least 25%, by cost, of a finished project’s permanently installed building products.
Vitro Architectural Glass, Environmentally Friendly and Energy Efficient
Advanced architectural glasses from Vitro glass contribute to the energy efficiency of a home through their ability to transmit light and block solar heat, reducing the need for artificial lighting
and air-conditioning. Solarban® solar control low-e and Sungate® passive low-e glasses give designers and homeowners the options they need to maximize
energy efficiency.
In a study using the country’s most sophisticated energy modeling software, Solarban® solar control low-e glasses were shown to reduce initial HVAC equipment costs and annual
energy costs in a prototypical eight-story, window-walled office building by up to 13% when specified, instead of less sophisticated glazing products, such as dual-pane tinted glass.
The same study showed that, depending on a building’s location, annual energy-related carbon emissions were reduced by up to 300 tons, enough to equal the yearly output of more than 50 passenger vehicles.
Cradle to Cradle Certified® Glass Products
All Vitro Residential Window Glass products are Cradle to Cradle Certified®. They include:
Solarban® solar control, low-e glasses
Solarban® 70 glass
Solarban® R67 glass
Solarban® 60 glass
Sungate® passive low-e glasses
Sungate® 400 glass
Starphire Ultra-Clear® (Low-Iron) Glasses
Starphire® glass
Clarvista® shower glass
Clarvista® glass