Asahi Glass Co. has developed a mirror backing material that uses no lead compounds and will start sales of the product in April 2006.
The company will invest around JPY 1 billion into AGC Flat Glass…
Asahi Glass Co. has developed a mirror backing material that uses no lead compounds and will start sales of the product in April 2006. The company will invest around JPY 1 billion into AGC Flat Glass (Dalian) Co, a wholly-owned subsidiary in China, to set up a new manufacturing line and launch commercial production. All production of household mirror products will be transferred to China from its plant at Kamisu, in the eastern Japanese prefecture of Ibaraki. Until now, lead has been in used in the compounds for the reverse side of mirrors in order to prevent silver corrosion. However, as a result of stricter environmental standards in Europe, the company has developed a substitute containing zinc. The new product will be sold at JPY 13,230 per square meter, or about 5% more expensive than existing products containing lead. Asahi Glass plans to sell the product in Japan for the time being and later expand sales to other parts of Asia including China.