Katrin Göring-Eckardt, Vice President of the German Bundestag, and Dr. Heiko Knopf, Vice Chairman of B90/The Green Party and member of the Jena City Council, spoke with SCHOTT management and employees in Jena, Thuringia, Germany, about the company’s ambitious climate goals.
Three years ago, the specialty glass manufacturer was the first in its industry to set the goal of becoming climate neutral by 2030. As a foundation company, SCHOTT is taking responsibility for the environment: Its scientists, engineers and other employees are developing ways to operate the energy-intensive aggregates used to melt glass with green electricity and hydro as opposed to gas. Several of these development projects are also sponsored by the German government.
In the medium to long term, the new melting technologies will be used at all SCHOTT glass melting production sites, which includes four locations in Germany.
SCHOTT manufactures innovative and system-relevant products, including billions of vials for COVID-19 vaccines.
During her visit, Katrin Göring-Eckardt emphasized the importance and responsibility of the specialty glass industry. “Consistency in climate protection is becoming a strong point of this location. This is all the more true during these uncertain times. It is great that SCHOTT is the first company from the energy-intensive glass industry to set out on this path and to push forward. That’s why this Thuringian company has a pioneering role to play. This will secure future jobs and strengthen the state and region. Close cooperation between business, authorities, and politicians is more important than ever.”
Dr. Heiko Knopf also commented, “I am pleased to see that here in Jena, SCHOTT is a company that is committed to investing in future technologies. This is exactly the kind of spirit we need in business to break new grounds in order to become competitive, conserve resources, and become climate-neutral. By using green electricity and hydrogen, SCHOTT is laying the crucial foundations for modern added value at its locations.”
At the site in Jena, Katrin Göring-Eckardt and Dr. Heiko Knopf learned about some of the innovations ‘made in Thuringia’ including the specialty glass SCHOTT produces using float technology. Its diagnostics and life science business has shown potential for growth, it was launched 20 years ago and has since expanded from Jena to become a global leader in technology.
Glass substrates developed years ago have played a particularly important role in COVID-19 testing in the fight against the pandemic. “Other high-tech products from SCHOTT’s site in Jena include cover glass for high quality smartphones made by Chinese manufacturer vivo, fire-resistant glazing for windows in buildings around the world, and even on cruise ships. You can even find our glass inside the Eiffel Tower providing fire protection for the restaurant windows. Our specialty glasses can be found in many applications as well as in resistant glazing for special vehicles,” explained Site Manager Armin Vogl.