Every solar panel consists of around 70 percent glass. Until now, much of this glass was lost after dismantling. With its patented, chemical-free process, SOLAR MATERIALS achieves a recovery rate of 98 percent of a panel’s total weight – including glass, aluminum, silicon, and copper. The recovered flat glass cullet is of such purity that it can directly re-enter the value chain. One tonne of cullet saves 1.2 tonnes of raw material and avoids 0.7 tonnes of CO₂ emissions. AGC Glass Europe will use this cullet in its float glass furnaces. The cooperation creates a closed loop: glass from solar panels becomes new glass for example for buildings.

“Our aim is to integrate our recycling solution into the European value chain as efficiently as possible,” says Dr. Jan-Philipp Mai, co-founder and CEO of SOLAR MATERIALS. “Since glass is the heaviest part of a solar panel, its reuse strongly reduces logistics and secures recycling quotas. With AGC, we have a partner who turns our cullet into new products on an industrial scale. Our Magdeburg site is the model for further cooperation across Europe.”

Dr. Marc Foguenne, Vice-President Sustainability at AGC Glass Europe, adds: “We believe in supporting PV panel recycling startups like SOLAR MATERIALS that are developing innovative and diverse technologies. This is essential to collect, sort and treat the immense and growing volume of PV panel waste generated in Europe. When processed correctly, the resulting cullet is of exceptionally high purity and can be fed back into our float glass production in a fully circular model, creating new glass for buildings and automotive windshields, right here in Europe. This is a significant step in our journey towards our sustainability goals of cutting CO2 emissions and achieving carbon neutrality by 2050.”

For SOLAR MATERIALS, the partnership is a milestone in expanding its network of industrial users of recycled glass. It also shows how local value chains can be built: collection, recycling, and production remain within Europe, saving resources and cutting emissions.