Saint-Gobain's Sustainable Leap: Zero-Carbon Gypsum Plant in Quebec
Global building materials maker Saint-Gobain, which has embraced energy efficiency upgrades at many of its North American plants, installed cutting-edge sustainability technology at its newly completed CertainTeed Gypsum wallboard plant in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec.
Saint-Gobain Canada completed electrification technology for the facility which are also powered by renewable electricity contracts. The three-year overhaul at Sainte-Catherine is intended to decrease energy use by 30% even while increasing production by up to 40%.
Among the upgrades include replacing natural gas burners with more efficient electrical heating elements, installing real-time smart energy meters and management, multiple heat recovery systems, process sensors and new insulation.
“This important investment will not only make Saint-Gobain North America the leader in sustainable drywall manufacturing, it will also further our operations in Canada, where we remain committed to growth and providing light and sustainable building materials for all Canadians,” said Mark Rayfield, President & CEO, Saint-Gobain North America, in a statement.
Saint-Gobain is touting Sainte-Catherine as the first major zero-carbon plant when it comes to direct and indirect emissions profiles.
The company has long invested in decarbonization strategies within its North American businesses. These moves included renewable energy power purchase agreements, shifting from gas-fired to electrification power at the Montreal gypsum plant and installing energy efficiency measures such as new-generation lighting and HVAC equipment.
Just a year ago, Saint-Gobain announced that companywide it had achieved Scope 1 and 2 (direct and immediate indirect) emissions reduction by 34% below 2017 levels, reaching its 2030 goal six years early, not counting Scope 3 (supply chain) levels.
In an exclusive interview with EnergyTech last year, Saint-Gobain circular economy leader Dennis Wilson said there might not be a single “silver bullet” in achieving net zero goals, but that decarbonization was a multi-front battle.
“We’ve done a lot on energy efficiency, and a lot of the projects we’ve done have delivered on that. You don’t have to remediate something you’re not using to begin with,” Wilson, who is vice president of ESG and managing director for Circular Economy Solutions at Saint-Gobain told EnergyTech in the summer of 2024. “All projects are focused on reducing usage, which is good for environmental sustainability. No silver bullets, just doing work on our day-to-day business to make us more competitive and more sustainable.”
Earlier this year, Saint-Gobain Canada introduced a new insulation material called Lanae, which is 82% comprised of recycled material and a bio-sourced renewable binder.
About the Author
Rod Walton, EnergyTech Managing Editor
Managing Editor
For EnergyTech editorial inquiries, please contact Managing Editor Rod Walton at [email protected].
Rod Walton has spent 17 years covering the energy industry as a newspaper and trade journalist. He formerly was energy writer and business editor at the Tulsa World. Later, he spent six years covering the electricity power sector for Pennwell and Clarion Events. He joined Endeavor and EnergyTech in November 2021.
Walton earned his Bachelors degree in journalism from the University of Oklahoma. His career stops include the Moore American, Bartlesville Examiner-Enterprise, Wagoner Tribune and Tulsa World.
EnergyTech is focused on the mission critical and large-scale energy users and their sustainability and resiliency goals. These include the commercial and industrial sectors, as well as the military, universities, data centers and microgrids. The C&I sectors together account for close to 30 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
He was named Managing Editor for Microgrid Knowledge and EnergyTech starting July 1, 2023
Many large-scale energy users such as Fortune 500 companies, and mission-critical users such as military bases, universities, healthcare facilities, public safety and data centers, shifting their energy priorities to reach net-zero carbon goals within the coming decades. These include plans for renewable energy power purchase agreements, but also on-site resiliency projects such as microgrids, combined heat and power, rooftop solar, energy storage, digitalization and building efficiency upgrades.