Is glass a sustainable material? (Professor David Horwat, Universite de Lorraine)

The use of synthetic glass as a material by humans can be traced back to ca. 2500 BC. Initially essentially used for decorative purposes, glass has progressively evolved towards a material hosting various functional properties, thereby offering services to human societies. Yet, with the current multiple transitions (energetic, ecological, ) that human societies are experiencing, one may wonder whether glass is sustainable or, more precisely, under which conditions it could be considered as sustainable. This lecture aims at investigating this question. After a brief historical introduction and reviewing the basic principles underlying the formation of technological glass, we will investigate the environmental impact of glass depending on specific functions to be met and compare it with other materials. David Horwats expertise is on the physical chemistry of inorganic functional thin films for energy applications.