Q+A with Cardinal Glass | Clear Advancements, Pushing Boundaries

Cardinal Glass has never been content to let its products speak only to light and line of sight. 

From a landmark carbon capture partnership targeting a 95% carbon dioxide reduction at its float plants, to a switchable privacy glass that’s rewriting expectations for residential and commercial design, the company is operating at the intersection of environmental responsibility and product innovation. In a wide-ranging conversation, Cardinal’s Tim Kaiser, vice president of sales and marketing, walks through the technical realities of decarbonizing float glass manufacturing, the design thinking behind the new LoĒ³-340+ glass, and why CLiC switchable privacy glass may finally be ready for its mainstream moment. 

Window + Door: Cardinal has taken a definitive stand on decarbonization with the K2-CO₂ partnership. How does this partnership, which aims for a 95% capture rate, change the way you view the “hard-to-abate” nature of float glass manufacturing? 

Tim Kaiser: Decarbonizing an energy-intensive operation like float glass manufacturing remains challenging. The length of time between furnace rebuilds limits the windows of opportunity to make changes to our furnaces. Potential solutions like electrification or switching to hydrogen combustion are either not yet mature enough or cost effective to meet our needs. Changes also run the risk of disrupting the supply of glass to our other plants. Carbon capture gives us a path towards decarbonization that does not affect our manufacturing process and builds on the work we have been doing over the last decade to voluntarily install additional air pollution controls at our float plants to manage nitrogen oxides, sulfur dioxide and particulate emissions. Carbon capture adds to that foundation and supports our vision to supply the innovative, energy-efficient products our customers need, while minimizing the environmental impact of our operations. 

WD: You’ve achieved minor source status at most Cardinal float plants. What were the biggest technical hurdles in integrating this new carbon capture system into existing, high-volume furnaces? 

TK: One of the biggest challenges is simply space. Float furnaces and their air pollution control systems are already tightly integrated, so adding new equipment like absorbers, ductwork and carbon dioxide handling infrastructure requires creative engineering and careful layout planning. The carbon capture system also must operate in harmony with our air pollution control devices. Any imbalance can ripple back into furnace performance. We cannot compromise glass quality or furnace stability. Float glass is a continuous, high-throughput process, and even small changes in combustion or exhaust conditions can impact the final product. The integration has to be effectively invisible to the furnace. 

WD: How does this initiative affect the overall carbon footprint (embodied carbon) of your products, and how do you anticipate customers in the residential and commercial markets will respond? 

TK: Float glass production is the largest contributor to Cardinal’s operational carbon footprint. One float line makes up approximately 8% of Cardinal’s Scope 1 and 2 greenhouse gas emissions. We recently updated the Environmental Product Declarations for our broad product categories. These life cycle analyses show that the largest contribution to the environmental footprint of our float glass comes from burning natural gas to melt raw materials. For our coated, tempered, laminated and insulating glass, the largest impact area is from raw materials—namely, our float glass. Focusing on decarbonizing our float glass will reduce the environmental footprint of all Cardinal’s products. 

Along with our EPD updates, we worked with a third-party to develop a life cycle analysis calculator that we will be able to use as an internal tool to model how sustainability initiatives like carbon capture will translate to the product level, which is ultimately what our customers care about. We have had some customers reach out already to ask us for more details about this project. They are excited to know how our project can support their own sustainability goals. 

WD: The new LoĒ³-340+ maintains a low 0.18 solar heat gain coefficient while offering a more neutral appearance. Was the development driven more by the need for enhanced performance or by aesthetic demand from designers? 

TK: As energy codes continue to drive lower SHGC requirements, a more color-neutral product was needed to complement a wide range of building color palettes. Along with the improved aesthetics, LoĒ³-340+ now comes standard with our low‑maintenance Neat+, helping glass stay cleaner, longer. 

WD: CLiC switchable privacy glass has moved from a niche to a more mainstream product. What are the biggest opportunities for smart glass in the residential commercial or multifamily market right now? 

TK: Switchable privacy glass has struggled to gain mainstream adoption for multiple reasons. Notably, durability shortfalls and failure meeting users’ high expectations for clarity. Cardinal Glass has addressed and solved those issues with our proprietary technology and developments found in CLiC. For the first time, a switchable privacy glass that exceeds expectations for clarity is widely available for purchase. This opens the gates for exterior residential applications like never before. 

We have seen unprecedented demand for use in key applications throughout the home. These include front door systems, bathrooms, home offices, bedrooms and any windows where the homeowner wants to maximize their view while also having a simple instant privacy solution at their fingertips. Pair this with the ability to have privacy without limiting natural daylight, the inherent benefits of laminated products, and the possibilities are endless. A current residential trend centers around wellness extending to biophilia—bringing the benefits of the outdoors inside. CLiC addresses these needs not just with its clarity, but also via the diffusion of light in privacy mode, keeping spaces bright and airy and enhancing mood and décor. 

WD: Can you discuss the partnership with Skyline Design on the SDX3 SmartView? What does this mean for the future of integrating smart technologies into traditional glass products? 

TK: Skyline Glass is a great partner and an expert in the healthcare markets. They have been instrumental in educating hospital and healthcare focused professionals about the advancements and benefits CLiC delivers. This includes discussing why CLiC isn’t like the switchable privacy films and products of the past (PDLC) and is new innovation in the space. The specialized controllers we developed for CLiC/SDX3 provide efficiency gains by allowing nurses to select privacy and clear views from both in the room and, more importantly, from the central nursing stations during emergencies. This increases both nurse efficiency and patient safety. But that isn’t the biggest reason CLiC improves patient safety. Patients are susceptible to secondary infections the longer they are in the hospital or clinic. These are referred to as Healthcare Associated Infections, which cost the industry billions of dollars annually, extending patient stays at an alarming rate. This is reason enough to eliminate dirty, porous curtains that need laundering, changing and have a short lifecycle before replacement is needed.

Instead, CLiC provides easy to clean non-porous room dividers and doors that eliminate need for curtains. This is just the tip of the iceberg with many more opportunities coming into view every day. Your imagination is the only limit. 

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Learn more about CLiC switchable privacy glass.