Vitrum 2023, the Italian glass industry trade show, kicked off yesterday with a press conference focused on the future of glass, hosted inside the 15th-century Sforzesco Castle in Milan. Dino Zandonello Necca, president of Vitrum and Gimav, called attention to the conference surroundings, tying together themes of Italy’s “millennial tradition” of glass-making with the modern glass industry’s plans for innovation. “To know where you want to go, you need to know where you come from,” he said.
Vitrum will be held in Fiera Milano Rho trade fair grounds Sept. 5-8. The trade show coincides with Milan Glass Week, a weeklong celebration of the Italian Glass Industries that includes events, meetings and workshops across the city.
Glass recyclability critical for a sustainable future
Several of the conference participants made the case for glass as a high-performance, diverse building material that is necessary in transitioning to sustainable building practices, especially given glass’s recyclability. “Glass is pivotal in a circular economy,” said Gabriella Del Signore, founder and managing director, Ghénos Communication.
The Italian glass industry has looked to using recycled glass, or scrap, in its production, though increased demand has recently lead to higher pricing, says Gianni Scotti, president of Coreve, a glass recovery consortium. Nevertheless, the industry is working with the government to resolve the situation so manufacturers can rely less on raw material. Recycling glass can represent up to a 25 percent reduction in energy use for manufacturers, Scotti said.
Leaders also highlighted glass’s importance as a building material given that recent technologies have advanced its installed energy performance. “Glass can now have the same thermal transmission as a wall,” said Scotti.
New at Vitrum 2023
Industry members also emphasized the importance of international cooperation and connectivity. Two new spaces inside the exhibition hall exemplify those themes:
- Vitrum Boulevard: an area that will run the entire length of the exhibition area, dedicated to international communities of glass.
- Vitrum Arena: a space for glassworkers, architects and designers to showcase their glass creations, as well as an area for networking.
Glass moves to "Industry 5.0"
Necca emphasized a few times that events like Vitrum, where industry leaders gather, are critical to meet and endure what he called an impending time of “crisis,” even as innovation sees the industry evolve into the next phase, what he called Industry 5.0. Necca underlined the strength of Italy’s heterogeneous glass industries, and the potential for that diversity to create a “melting pot” for new innovation. “The trade fair is not just about machines, but ideas,” he said.
