The enhanced water filtration system generates approximately 1,800 kilograms annually of compressed glass fines, commonly referred to as "cakes" in production operations. Rather than treating this material as waste requiring disposal, an opportunity existed to reimagine its value within the manufacturing ecosystem.

Innovation

Research into industrial material applications and construction science identified viable pathways for incorporating glass fines into building materials, specifically as aggregate substitutes in flooring substrates and structural base layers.

Implementation

With a new manufacturing facility under development, the glass fine byproduct was proposed and approved for integration into the facility's flooring construction. This approach delivered multiple benefits:

• Reduced demand for virgin sand and aggregate materials
• Decreased transportation and logistics requirements
• Eliminated waste disposal costs and environmental impact

Impact

While operationally modest, this initiative represented a fundamental shift in organizational philosophy from viewing process byproducts as disposal challenges to recognizing them as valuable material inputs. The project advanced FG Glass toward circular manufacturing principles, where production residuals are intentionally designed to support future development.

Project executed by: Rohit Chavan, Taher Kachwala and Rahul Rathod