The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London has reinforced its continuing role at the heart of the UK glass community as co-organiser of a major Parliamentary Reception at the House of Lords.
More than a dozen members of the Company, drawn from across the different glass sectors, attended the event, hosted by Lord Foster of Bath, which brought together industry leaders, parliamentarians and policymakers to explore how the UK’s glass and glazing sectors can support the Government’s ambitions for reindustrialisation, growth and industrial renewal.
The reception was jointly organised through the UK Glass & Glazing Collective, which brings together the Glass Sellers with the British Glass Manufacturers’ Confederation, Glass & Glazing Federation, Glass Futures and the Society of Glass Technology.
For the Glass Sellers, whose history stretches back to its Royal Charter in 1664, involvement in the Collective reflects the continuing relevance of a Livery Company that maintains strong links across today’s glass community and actively supports the promotion and advancement of glass.
Matthew Demmon, Master Glass Seller, said: “The Glass Sellers are proud of the part we played in organising such a positive show of strength and unity from the sector, and we were delighted to receive such a robust commitment of support and collaboration from the new Minister for Reindustrialisation.
“We look forward to all moving forward in the same direction, towards a stronger UK glass industry.”
Stuart Hakes, Chair of the Glass Sellers’ Glass Committee and Honorary Fellow of the Society of Glass Technology, added: “The Parliamentary Reception exceeded expectations. We had a good turnout of MPs, and the address from the Minister showed that we are getting our message across.
“I think our emphasis on working with Government to reindustrialise went down well. Only time will tell, but I’m optimistic going forward.”
The Glass Sellers also announced its support for the new Back British-made Glass Charter, launched at the reception to champion the strategic importance of domestic glass manufacturing. The voluntary Charter promotes recognition of glass as a foundation industry and encourages support for British-made glass, fair competition, sustainable domestic manufacturing, and collaboration on investment and skills.
The Parliamentary Reception focused on five practical priorities for the glass and glazing sectors: enabling a competitive transition to net zero; creating competitive conditions for energy and investment; reforming Packaging Extended Producer Responsibility (pEPR) to support glass packaging; increasing the role of UK-manufactured glazing and insulation in high-efficiency buildings and retrofit; and maximising glass recovery and recycling.
The Glass Sellers will continue to work through the UK Glass & Glazing Collective and its wider industry relationships to promote glass, support the sector and help secure its future growth and prosperity.
Further information: https://glass-sellers.co.uk/
L-R: Chris Beedel, Tim Simmons, John Agnew, Maria Chanmugam, Cate Watkinson, Brian Scott Picton,
Richard Katz, Allister Malcolm, Matthew Demmon, Stuart Hakes, Jane Vincent, Dave Fordham, Katharine Coleman MBE and Vanessa Cutler.
