The positive trend in the segment of bird-friendly glass is largely driven by country-specific regulations for protecting birds against glazed façades, which promote the development of new concepts. However, these are not the same the world over.
In Europe there are both supra-regional and national regulations such as the EU Birds Directive or the German Federal Nature Conservation Act.[2] These prohibit the killing and injuring of wild bird species even if this is done indirectly by glass windows, for example.[3] There are no explicit binding, technical specifications for window-specific bird protection but due to the legal framework it is subject to the conception and assessment of construction projects.
India currently has no national or binding regulations for bird protection in construction. Wild animals are generally protected by the Wildlife Protection Act[4] but without any concrete rules for buildings.
The same applies to China, where the Wildlife Protection Law[5] prescribes species protection but without specific rules for preventing bird collision.
In the USA there is no nation-wide legislation. But there is growing interest in it and local regulations such as the Bird-Friendly Buildings Act[6] provide for bird protection in the construction sector in New York City and San Francisco[7].
The above regulations and a generally increased awareness regarding bird fatalities lead to an increase in bird-friendly window products worldwide.
