Saint-Gobain North America announced today that it has been awarded an Environmental Initiatives Award at the 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Awards for its work to create the first “net zero-carbon” gypsum wallboard facility in North America at its plant outside of Montreal, Quebec.

The SEAL Business Sustainability Awards from SEAL Awards honors companies, start-ups, scale-ups and individuals who display leadership, innovation, and commitment to sustainable business practices. This award comes as Saint-Gobain continues to implement its company-wide Grow & Impact Strategy, which includes a commitment to sustainability and a global pledge of carbon neutrality by 2050.

In June 2022, Saint-Gobain North America, and its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Canada, announced plans to invest $126 million CAD to upgrade equipment at its Montreal gypsum wallboard manufacturing facility in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, which will reduce the facility’s carbon emissions by 44,000 metric tonnes/year, the equivalent of taking 14,000 cars off the road, and reduce the site’s energy usage by 30%. In addition, these upgrades will transition the plant away from fossil fuels to solely being powered by renewable energy from Hydro-Quebec, making it the first “net zero-carbon” wallboard plant in North America and only the second in the world after another Saint-Gobain facility in Norway. Construction to allow for equipment upgrades will begin this summer and the project will be completed by end of 2024.

“The electrification of our Montreal gypsum plant, which will be the first zero-carbon gypsum wallboard plant in North America, epitomizes Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Canada’s commitment to sustainability and our pledge to be carbon neutral by 2050,” said Julie Bonamy Racine, CEO of CertainTeed Canada. “We are honored to be recognized by the SEAL Sustainability Awards for this important project, as it is a testament to the hard work of our entire team and their dedication to our purpose of Making the World a Better Home.”

This recognition from the SEAL Awards follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability: 

• Last month, CertainTeed Siding announced the completion of a submetering system at its Jackson, Michigan Siding facility, saving more than 9 million gallons of water per year.
• In April, CertainTeed Canada surpassed one million tonnes of gypsum recycled and returned to production at its Vancouver plant.
• In February, Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Roofing, acquired the rights to technology from recycling partner Asphaltica that will allow the company to recycle asphalt shingle waste, diverting it from landfill and furthering the company’s commitment to creating a circular economy in its production of roofing shingles.
• In December, Saint-Gobain announced the launch of a recycling program at two locations in California, where windshield glass scraps from the company’s Sekurit facility will be recycled and reused in the production of insulation.
• In November, Saint-Gobain announced technology upgrades at its CertainTeed Roofing plant in Shakopee, Minnesota, which are projected to save 5,000 MWh of electricity per year.  
• In October, Saint-Gobain and Total Energies signed a 10-year renewable electricity supply agreement expected to offset nearly 33% of Saint-Gobain North America’s Scope 2 emissions from electricity; and the company started up operations at its new electrical powerhouse on its flagship campus in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is projected to reduce the site’s carbon dioxide emissions by 50%.  

With over 145 manufacturing locations in the United States, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its purpose of making the world a better home. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations can be found on the company’s careers website.  

ABOUT CERTAINTEED

Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has helped shape the building products industry for more than 115 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm’s slogan “Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed,” inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is a leading North American brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, solar, fence, railing, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings. www.certainteed.com.  

ABOUT SAINT-GOBAIN

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.      

€51.2 billion in sales in 2022       

168,000 employees, located in 75 countries       

Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050   

Media Contact:

Saint-Gobain in North America:
Peter Clark
Saint-Gobain Corporate Communications
Media@saint-gobain.com

For more details on Saint-Gobain, visit http://www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain.