Environmental impact Medium
Employer/employee ranking 16/8
Staff numbers 196
Energy reduction 0%
Recycling 16%

The window cleaner’s days are numbered. A self-cleaning glass developed by Saint-Gobain Glass UK means chemical-laden cleaning products may soon be a thing of the past. An invisible coating on the glass works with rainwater and the sun’s UV light to break down grime so windows, as well as the atmosphere, stay cleaner for longer.

Employees say the environment is an everyday consideration at the Yorkshire glass manufacturer, giving a 90% green score, and it has a bearing on their job (89%). The firm’s environment management system reaches the international ISO 14001 standard, and recycling is a particular strength

. Since the quality of the flat glass which makes windows needs to be high, using recycled glass here is difficult. Saint-Gobain has risen to the challenge and now uses five times more recycled glass in its manufacturing than any of its competitors. Every ton of such glass heated in the furnace saves 1.2 tons of raw material being quarried. Less energy is needed to melt the recycled ware than is needed to create new glass, so energy consumption is reduced too.

The glass recycling scheme began in 2001 and the firm now uses 3,000 tons of waste glass every month. Customers are paid for their offcuts, and the company uses the lorries which drop off deliveries to take waste glass back to the plant to be reused. Employees say green initiatives such as this aren’t a waste of money (94%, the fifth highest score) and they are aware of the environmental implications of their work (88%).

With a green score of 98%, it is clear that staff know where to put waste at work for recycling, and this drive has been successful in reducing the amount of rubbish sent to landfill sites from 6,370 tons in 2001 to 1,645 tons in 2006. All metal, plastic, timber, paper and cardboard is recycled, as is 50% of the hazardous waste.

The winner of our special award for staff training and motivation, bosses here encourage employees to think about energy saving (88%). The environmental training they receive motivates the workforce to think about being green at home too (80%), and they are kept up-to-date with progress in reducing the company’s impact on the environment (84%).