Sony Thayil, Business Head, P & L Role, National Head - Consumer Glass Division, Asahi India Glass Limited (AIS), in an interaction with Sudhakar Singh, Editor, Industry Outlook, shares his views on the glass industry. During the conversation, he throws light on the issues pertaining to recycling, increasing cost of raw materials and more.
Automotive and construction industries are witnessing a sharp rise in the demand for integrated glass and windows solutions. How do you see the current evolution of this market in India?
In the post-Covid era, both the residential and commercial construction domains are witnessing an increased traction. The residential domain in particular is reaching new heights with the demand for luxury as well as affordable properties soaring across all the major metro cities.
Moreover, as work-from-office model takes over, the demand for commercial properties are coming back to a full swing. The proactive measures taken by the Government of India as well as the rising FDIs in the industrial segment is keeping the real estate industry buoyant with an expected growth of 9 percent CAGR.
Disposal of glass products is an area of major concern. Although some amount of recycled glass is now commonly used in the glass industry, the majority is land-filled. There is a lack of economical technologies that can identify and eliminate non-glass materials. How can the industry improve the cost-effectiveness of the process of collecting & reusing post-consumer glass?
The major
glass manufacturers of India are now conscious about the benefits of recycling and are putting in concentrated efforts to organize the recycling of glass products. That being said, glass recycling has not developed in entirety and is still in a nascent stage.
Today, all the manufacturers along with other industrial players of the nation are required to take united steps in order to see a sustainable change. We at Asahi India Glass Limited (AIS) are absorbing used glass to be applied in different parts of manufacturing.
With combined efforts of all, the glass industry of India is expected to transition towards a circular economy, optimizing the use of post-consumer glass.