French materials producer Saint-Gobain has announced that it has begun production of zero-carbon plasterboard at its plant in Fredrikstad, southeast Norway. The company’s move towards decarbonising its manufacturing process was made possible by switching from natural gas to hydroelectric power, which avoided 23,000 tons of carbon dioxide emissions annually. Additionally, the company’s improved heat recovery and more efficient manufacturing process have reduced energy use at the site by 30% while increasing capacity by 40%. Saint-Gobain has said that it will be able to launch a full range of plasterboard products with “the lowest carbon footprint on the market in 2023” due to these improvements. The modernisation process cost €25m and was partially funded by a €7m subsidy from Norwegian state enterprise Enova.
Founded during the reign of Louis XIV, Saint-Gobain’s glass was used in the Palace of Versailles’ Hall of Mirrors. Today, the company has global sales of around €51bn and employs 168,000 people across 75 countries. The company commented that its decarbonisation initiative clearly manifests Saint-Gobain’s commitment to reduce its carbon emissions by 33% by 2030 compared to 2017 and become carbon neutral by 2050. The announcement is just one of a growing number of commitments by companies to reduce their carbon footprint and support the transition to a more sustainable economy.
