Saint-Gobain, acting for the climate

Saint-Gobain, a reference actor

Saint-Gobain has a key role to play in combating climate change by reducing its own greenhouse gas emissions and proposing solutions to improve energy efficiency. For several years, Saint-Gobain has been engaged in reducing the CO₂ emissions of its industrial and distribution activities, materials supply, tertiary buildings, products and services. Saint-Gobain aims to cut its energy consumption by 15% and its total CO₂ emissions by 20% by 2025. All Company Activities work daily to achieve these targets.  

Saint-Gobain’s contribution to the energy transition can also be found in its core business: develop solutions enabling its customers to build or renovate buildings that are energy-efficient, comfortable, healthy and attractive, while conserving natural resources. 

Today, buildings account for 40% of the world’s energy consumption and 38% of greenhouse gas emissions in developed countries. Saint-Gobain provides thermal insulation and insulating glazing which on average after just three months’ use offsets the emissions from its production. After that, the savings grow: it is estimated that Saint-Gobain solutions produced and sold in Europe in 2014 would, across their entire lifespan, offset about 90 times the Company’s 2014 greenhouse gas emissions.

Click here to know Saint-Gobain's positions for COP21.

A cross-disciplinary role during the COP21

As an official partner, Saint-Gobain is involved in several actions:

• A booth in the Climate Generations space at Le Bourget, open to the general public, in partnership with the World Green Building Council, a worldwide network for promoting sustainable construction.
• A speech on December 3, by Pierre-André de Chalendar, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain, in the negotiations area on the thematic Building Day in partnership with the World Green Building Council.
• Donation of ISOVER, Placo^® and Eurocoustic products for the thermal and acoustic insulation of the premises housing the COP21 conference.
• Donation of glazing for an exhibition being organized concurrently by the Paris City Hall on the banks of the Seine River.

Saint-Gobains has also signed the French Business Climate Pledge with 38 other companies.

Discover our brochure Act for the climate

Saint-Gobain's ambition in practice

Our achievements

• The Multi-comfort house in Stawiguda (Poland) 

The Multi-Comfort program is the PREFAB model house which was inaugurated in May 2015 in Stawiguda, Poland. Used both as a showroom and an office, it showcases Saint-Gobain’s technologies to ensure compliance with three stringent energy efficiency standards: the Passive House Standard delivered by the Polish Institute of Passive Buildings and Renewable Energy, the local standard and Saint-Gobain’s Multi-Comfort standard. After 12 months, the 256 m² building had an energy consumption of 9kWh/m²/year. Over 100 products from various Saint-Gobain brands made this energy-efficiency achievement possible, including Weber construction chemicals, ISOVER insulation materials, Rigips drywall systems and Glassolutions window panes and glazing. 

• The new headquarters of the Department of Environmental Affairs in South Africa 

The new headquarters building of the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA), located in Pretoria, South Africa is the first government building in South Africa to achieve a 6 Star Green Star SA rating. Over 27,400 square meters, the new headquarters use water collectors and a photovoltaic farm covering most of the roofs. The material selection was driven by sustainability, longevity and ease of maintenance. The majority of the external envelop included Gyproc drylining solutions with ISOVER glasswool insulation in selected roof areas to increase thermal performance. Although the HQ’s predicted energy consumption was about 108kWh/sq.m./year for the base building, with estimated savings of 4.4 million kgCO₂/year, the current average energy consumption is currently around half of the maximum target. 

• Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed’s North American Headquarters 

The new headquarters for Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed North America were opened in fall 2015 in Malvern, Pennsylvania (United States). This is the opportunity for the Group to create an inspiring, open and bright working environment for its employees, while showcasing Saint-Gobain’s best practices and sustainable solutions to minimize the building’s environmental impacts. The building is LEED certified. More than 20 solutions from CertainTeed Corporation, Sage Glass, Saint-Gobain Glass, Saint-Gobain Adfors and Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics were used for the building.

Adapted processes

• San Martin Plasterboard Plant 

The Saint-Gobain San Martin Plasterboard Plant, located in San Martin de la Vega, south of Madrid, is dedicated to the manufacturing of plasterboards from gypsum extracted from a neighboring quarry. In 2012, the plant began the implementation of a project to reduce the weight of the plasterboard by 1kg for each square meter of plasterboard manufactured. Two years after, Gypsum consumption decreased by 8%, and the environmental impacts were substantial: water consumption was reduced by 4.6%, and, as a result of the 10% decrease in energy consumption, CO₂ emissions fell by 4%. As the products’ weight was over 9% lower, emissions linked to transportations were also significantly reduced. 

Our innovative products

• Ecolux, the next generation in low-emissivity window film from Solar Gard

Ecolux rejects up to 99% of harmful ultraviolet radiation, as it helps to control heat and light. By combining a low-e coating with solar control properties, this innovative window insulating film technology goes beyond the capabilities of standard solar control films: it rejects heat from outside on warm days and nights, reducing cooling costs. and it reflects heat back into the room on cool days to reduce heating costs. Solar control films from Solar Gard help save up to 30% on energy costs from cooling. Windows with these films save an average of 100 times more carbon emissions over a 15-year lifetime than are emitted during their production.