Toronto, Ontario — A circular economy calls for co-operation from all levels of industry; Audi appears to have taken this idea to heart, announcing Wednesday that its “Glassloop” pilot project will enter standard production and will see old glass given new life on the company’s vehicles.
First launched in April of last year as a way to repurpose defective glass into windshields for the Audi Q4 e-tron, the German automaker plans to expand its advanced glass recycling process to help equip the rest of its model lineup.
Audi’s Glassloop process involves breaking down old windshields into glass granulate, melting them down, and ultimately re-introducing them to plate glass production, according to the press release.
The OEM claims further that making glass in this way reduces much of the need to source primary materials like quartz sand.
“If we process car windows that can no longer be repaired so that they are suitable for automotive production again, we need less raw material overall and avoid downcycling car windows that can no longer be repaired,” said Audi’s project manager of circular economy, Philipp Eder.
This effort on the part of Audi to keep a tight handle on its production materials played a large part in Glassloop earning a German Award for Sustainability Projects in the “Recycling Concept” category, according to the press release.
