Building materials company CSR has announced it will shed 150 jobs as it urgently seeks to stop the profit hemorrhaging from its Viridian glass manufacturing subsidy.

A review of the glass manufacturer by CSR concluded that significant shifts in the glass manufacturing sector has occurred, including:

  • a persistently high Australian dollar that has put downward pressure on pricing, and has enabled alternative import supply chains to be established which are now expected to become a permanent feature of the glass market in the future;
  • weaker residential and commercial construction markets are both at cyclical lows and are forecast to recover at a slower rate than previously anticipated;
  • a significant increase in (downstream) processing glass capacity during a period of weak demand has adversely impacted the profitability and profit potential of the industry; and
  • increasing energy and manufacturing costs in Australia have exacerbated Viridian’s competitive position relative to imports.


“CSR is implementing a major restructure of its Viridian glass operations to reflect  the reality of the market, improve the short-term performance of the business and position Viridian to compete successfully in the future,” said CSR Managing Director Rob Sindel. 

CSR estimates the costs of redundancies, site relocation and site remediation costs will be approximately $34 million, the majority of which will be rolled out between now and the end of March next year.