The Advantages of Saint-Gobain in the “Green Racing” Track

Pioneering early investments in the production and supply of lightweight, sustainable construction materials, Saint-Gobain has achieved success and is ready to expand its ecosystem of these solutions to meet the potential market demand in Vietnam.

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Sustainable development is becoming a major trend worldwide in the context of increasing climate threats. According to S&P Global research, global GDP could lose up to 4.4% annually without adaptive measures.

Recognizing this, circular economy and green growth are the development models that many countries choose. At the COP26 conference, Vietnam announced its target of carbon neutrality (Net Zero) by 2050. On October 1, 2021, the Prime Minister approved the “National Green Growth Strategy for the 2021-2030 period, vision to 2050,” including the goal of greening the economy sectors.

To achieve ambitious targets for Net Zero and green growth strategy, besides policy efforts, active participation of multiple industries and sectors is required. For example, it is essential to green the construction industry – a critical platform in the economy with a high proportion of emissions.

On this “green path”, Saint-Gobain stands out as a pioneering company that identifies sustainable development as a core business strategy from a very early stage. “Our vision is to be the world’s leading provider of lightweight and sustainable building materials,” said Benoit Bazin, CEO of Saint-Gobain during his recent visit to Vietnam.

“About 75% of Saint-Gobain’s solutions have a positive impact on sustainability, including reducing CO2 emissions, conserving natural resources, and improving living spaces. They strive to promote innovations to green the construction industry in Vietnam,” Benoit Bazin said. Accordingly, the group provides comprehensive and synchronized solutions to “green” projects from the inside out, from foundations to roofs, creating a diverse advantage of lightweight materials from a single supplier of Saint-Gobain on the “green” track. The Saint-Gobain building in Paris is a typical example with more than 80 sustainable lightweight material solutions applied.

These materials make a significant contribution to reducing carbon emissions. For example, gypsum-based mortar solutions reduce 75% of CO2 emissions compared to traditional cement-based mortar. This material also helps reduce the consumption of construction sand – a natural resource that is increasingly scarce in Vietnam. Similarly, the application of hydrous materials in glass production helps reduce 70% of direct CO2 emissions into the environment.

In addition to lightweight material solutions, the “green” advantage of Saint-Gobain also lies in the majority of its products being evaluated with LCA. Thanks to this, constructions that use a diversity of sustainable lightweight material solutions from the group can depict a maximum of 41 points on the 12 criteria of LEED green building assessment. During the operation of the project, Saint-Gobain’s solution system continues to provide convenient and user-friendly living spaces, ensuring safe indoor air quality, achieving sound comfort, optimizing energy, easy construction and shaping, and bringing diverse design experiences…

With pioneering efforts and relentless pursuit in promoting sustainable development of the construction industry, Saint-Gobain has contributed to the creation of many green projects in Vietnam.

Not only producing sustainable materials, Saint-Gobain also focuses on early investment in green production and operation ecosystems. All 9 Saint-Gobain factories in Vietnam operate under the WCM (World Class Manufacturing) standards to manage consistent product quality, optimize production, and save energy. Some factories have achieved more than 40% solar power usage for production activities.

Production plant of tile adhesive, grout, waterproofing products Weber, a subsidiary brand of Saint-Gobain, has achieved over 40% solar power usage for production activities

Focusing on sustainable development has also brought sweet fruits to the Group itself. CEO Benoit Bazin revealed that sales at Saint-Gobain have quadrupled in the past 10 years. In 2023, the Group’s annual Rencontres event called out Saint-Gobain Vietnam for The Arches award in the Growth category.