Sustainability, in All Its Forms, Emphasized at FGIA Conference
In looking to further minimize negative environmental impacts, conserve energy and natural resources, maintain or increase economic considerations, and remain safe for employees, communities and consumers, this year’s 2023 Summer Conference by the Fenestration and Glazing Industry Alliance encompassed the many facets of sustainability.
Held in Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, June 12–15, the city is already regarded as one of the world’s most sustainable and provided the perfect backdrop for this year’s conference and educational sessions.
Getting a seat at the table to talk about plastic regulation
Various sessions throughout the conference alerted FGIA members and conference attendees to the probable impacts of plastics pollution programs on the table in both the United States and Canada, and with the United Nations. During the Vinyl Material Forum, Aine Curran, president and CEO, Vinyl Institute of Canada, spoke on Canada’s Strategy on Zero Plastic Waste, which takes a lifecycle approach to evaluating plastics and installs a nationwide action plan. “The government is not well educated in regards to PVC,” said Curran, “especially with the Global Treaty on Plastics Pollution that still says that PVC is not recyclable, which is not true.”
Ned Monroe, president and CEO, Vinyl Institute, updated attendees on the VIABILITY Recycling Grant Program and the United Nations Plastics Agreement by the UN Environment Programme, a legally binding agreement on reducing plastic pollution from its production, use and disposal, which is planned to debut in 2025 and will impact vinyl window and door manufacturers.
Among the measures under discussion are bans on certain polymers, ingredients and products, including PVC and polystyrene. “The UN Environment Programme and about 160 different governments very aggressively decided on a globally binding agreement on plastic solutions,” said Monroe. While it might not include durable products or windows and doors, if the program includes a broad scope, PVC used in doors and windows could be a target.
In the U.S., President Biden signed Executive Order 14096, Revitalizing Our Nation’s Commitment to Environmental Justice for All, in April aimed at pursuing a whole-of-government approach to environmental justice. “This lengthy executive order contains a few things that we want to call to your attention,” said Kathy Krafka Harkema, U.S. technical operations director, FGIA. The order creates an inter-agency policy committee on plastics pollutions, she warned, as well as a circular economy.
Designing to reduce waste, unrecyclable plastics
Harkema called numerous sustainability issues to the attention of FGIA members. “How do we design our products to use fewer plastics?” said Harkema. “How do we start to think about product design so there’s less waste? How do we reduce the use of unrecyclable plastics? And then how do we minimize that pollution across the whole spectrum and lifecycle of products?”
The Vinyl Institute, through its VIABILITY Recycling Grant Program, is offering $3 million in recycling grants to organizations to help meet post-consumer vinyl recycling goals to 160 million pounds by 2025. FGIA is undergoing a viability study for application toward a $100,000 grant. “This is a very serious issue that could impact all of our businesses,” Harkema told attendees.
Working toward Net-Zero, Energy Star, EPDs and more
Two sessions—one on fenestration and net-zero and one on thin triples in multi-cavity IGUs—drew standing-room-only crowds and spirited conversation. Attendees bounced around ideas on industry definitions for the use of thin glass in relation to multicavity IGUs, development of a TIR on thin glass use in multicavity IGUs, and what documents would need to be created or revised during the Thin Glass Use in MultiCavity IGUs Task Group.
As the National Building Code of Canada is working toward net-zero houses for 2030, Natural Resources Canada has challenged the fenestration industry to meet their aspirational goal for windows by 2030. During the Fenestration Path to Net-Zero 2030 session, Jeff Baker, president, WESTLab Canada, provided updates on the work done for Natural Resources Canada to review the currently available products that would achieve different performance levels on the path to 2030 net-zero houses, the proposed targets for the NBC Tier 5 prescriptive compliance path in the 2025 code, and what it will take in different window types to meet these targets.
FGIA's Aaron Blom addressed the case for industry-wide Environmental Product Declarations, or EPDs, for industry products during the Sustainability Steering Committee. Many FGIA members agreed on them [for] windows, vinyl profiles/PVC extrusions, aluminum extrusions, assembled patio doors, wood and wood-clad windows, and fiberglass pultrusions. Some comments in the negative included:
- “There’s too much diversity in fenestration design for a single blanket EPD,”
- “Industry-wide EPDs hurt some companies and help others,” and
- “Acceptance of an industry-wide EPD reduces the incentive to do better.”
With the October 2023 deadline looming, FGIA’s Kathy Krafka Harkema shared that the association and the Window and Door Manufacturers Association are working on a portal that will allow manufacturers to submit shipment data for Energy Star as an alternative to submitting direct to the federal government.
Designing for animal safety
Aaron Blom also covered the results of FGIA’s recent sustainability survey during the Sustainability Steering Committee. The survey revealed sustainability opportunities that FGIA members are interested in:
- marketing of wood windows as carbon negative
- recycling end-of-life window products
- differentiation of plastic usage
- updating finishing standard that adjusts for recycled billet inclusion
- reducing product testing
The latest in bird-friendly glass and related standards to protect wildlife was covered in a panel with Tara Brummet of Vitrum Glass, Mark Jacobson with Kuraray, Goeff Shellard of Guardian Glass and Otto Ward with Garibaldi Glass. Attendees learned the latest glass design considerations, regulations and codes, and their impact on lighting and reflectivity. The panelists also addressed the new Vancouver Bird Friendly City project, fabricating bird-friendly glazing and its challenges, and bird-friendly glass and its connection to energy requirements.
“We're seeing more conversations around bird-friendly glass products, more municipalities implementing regulations,” said Brummet. “There are some challenges for fabricators—such as balancing aesthetics with bird safety—and we want to be involved in the process as early as possible, talking to architects and glazing contractors so we can understand the details of the project and make sure we’re providing the best option to meet these bird-friendly requirements.
Recruiting young talent, and understanding how AI can help your business
The FGIA Summer Conference Opening Session urged attendees to take note of several pressing issues, including the ramifications of artificial intelligence and the continued need for young talent.
Dan Parrish, chairperson of FGIA’s board and engineering manager for Pella Corp., reported that studies have shown that, in addition to pay and rank, younger workers are interested in jobs and fields that provide them with a sense of vested purpose. “They want opportunities to contribute to something larger than themselves,” he said. “And they want to feel that what they’re part of is making progress. I think there’s an opportunity for us to excite younger generations to get involved in this industry.”
Keep in mind that not all of the talent comes from human resources. Paula Cozzi Goedert, legal counsel, FGIA, discussed the implications as companies and employees explore the use of AI. “Who owns the work product that comes out of artificial intelligence? How about the companies who own the AI?” she asked. “How about the guys who coded the AI? How about the person who put in the prompt, or the computer, which spits out the answer?”
Goedert suggested it’s crucial that companies establish an understanding for ownership and copyrights for AI-generated content.
Scott Kessler with Lippert Components shared the importance of prioritizing safety training in the fenestration and glazing industry and finding ways to engage teams with tangible take-aways to apply at their own companies. “The biggest thing is just understanding the value of hands-on engaged safety training. You can take that with you and use it every day of your life as you go forward,” said Kessler. “We want to train our people to be engaged in reporting hazards that they see on the floor. They know more of the things that happen day to day.”
