MALVERN, Pa. — Saint-Gobain, through its building materials subsidiary CertainTeed Siding, reported that has achieved a 96% reduction (Scopes 1 & 2 only) in emissions from the manufacturing of polymer shakes, vinyl trim, millwork, and vinyl siding at its manufacturing facilities in McPherson, Kansas, Social Circle, Georgia, and Williamsport, Maryland, respectively. 

With fully electrified processes and 100% of the electricity used backed by renewable energy credits (RECs), Saint-Gobain has taken a significant step in its mission to provide low-carbon siding products to the US market and reduce its environmental footprint.

This ambitious project comes as the company continues to successfully execute its global Grow and Impact strategy which commits to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050 and includes aggressive sustainability goals for reduction of energy and water use, landfill contributions, and increased use of recycled raw material. 

The current energy project by the siding business complements the company’s three existing Power Purchase Agreements that will provide enough renewable electricity to cover over 70% of the electricity demand at all of Saint-Gobain’s industrial sites in North America when fully online by 2025.

With the production processes now powered by renewable energy at the initial three facilities, the business is working to eliminate remaining sources of emissions not directly related to production, such as natural gas for plant heating and propane for forklift trucks. That work will result in fully net-zero facilities within the next few years, and Saint-Gobain will expand the program to additional Siding manufacturing sites. In addition to emissions reduction, pursuit of Saint-Gobain’s sustainability goals through multiple projects within the Siding Group has resulted in significant reductions in water use and discharge, and landfill contributions, including the 50% reduction of water consumption (over 9 million gallons) by its Jackson, Michigan facility resulting from the installation of a smart water submetering system and upgraded production equipment.

“As a leader in light and sustainable construction, we must focus on ensuring our manufacturing practices are as sustainable as possible, and our efforts toward achieving a near net-zero production process for Scopes 1 and 2 emissions in McPherson, Social Circle and Williamsport are a giant step forward as we continue this work,” said Joe Bondi, Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed Siding. “These achievements are a shining example of how we can continue to provide quality products to our customers while committing to sustainable business practices. I thank every member of the team for their work to make this progress possible and for your dedication to our purpose ---'Making the World a Better Home.”’

This project follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:

• In September, Saint-Gobain announced that it signed a 15-year, 100 MW power purchase agreement with TotalEnergies for the purchase of solar power, expected to offset Saint-Gobain North America’s CO2 emissions from electricity by 90,000 metric tons per year.
• In August, Saint-Gobain announced a circular economy initiative in its Ceramics business, where scrap finished goods from its Bryan, Texas facility are sent to other Saint-Gobain Ceramics plants to be reused in production, instead of ending in landfills.
• In July, the company announced upgrades at its CertainTeed Insulation plant in Athens, Georgia, which is projected to save over 7,300 MWh of energy and 20 million gallons of water annually, while reducing landfill waste by over 5,000 MT.
• Also in July, Saint-Gobain announced the opening of a new CertainTeed Architectural facility in Conyers, Georgia, which will be co-located with finishing partner QPC, allowing the company to drastically reduce the distance products must travel to finalize production, reducing carbon emissions by over 50 million pounds per year.
• In June, Saint-Gobain announced that it had been awarded a 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Award for its work to create the first “net zero-carbon” gypsum wallboard facility for scope 1 and 2 emissions in North America at its plant outside Montreal, Quebec.