Industrial Emissions Directive
Policy areas / Environment & Chemical Regulations / Industrial Emissions Directive
Industrial Emissions Directive
The glass fibre industry is committed to comply with the applicable emission limits as well as to continuously improve its environmental performance.
Summary
The industrial emission directive (IED) is the main EU instrument regulating emissions from industrial installations. The IED aims to high levels of protection of human health and the environment by reducing harmful industrial emissions across the EU, in particular through application of Best Available Techniques (BAT). The IED has been recently reviewed to broaden its focus beyond emissions control to include energy efficiency, resource efficiency, circularity, decarbonisation and industrial transformation.
Why is it important
The glass fibre installations are covered by the IED and operate under a permit (granted by the authorities in the Member States). Emission limits are set according the performance defined by Best Available Techniques Reference Document (BREF) for manufacturing glass. The revision of the glass BREF is expected to start in 2028.
Our view
The revision of the Glass BREF should continue to promote improvements in environmental performance while remaining grounded in demonstrated industrial experience and technically achievable solutions. The revised BREF should recognise the specific characteristics of continuous filament glass fibre manufacturing, maintain a technology-neutral approach, and ensure that BAT conclusions remain environmentally effective, technically achievable and economically viable.
Supporting documents