Saint Gobain - Registration document 2016

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1 SAINT-GOBAIN TODAY
2. Corporate culture
14 SAINT-GOBAIN - REGISTRATION DOCUMENT 2016
for its clients and its Activities, to enhancing its products and
services so as to improve energy efficiency.
The action taken by Saint-Gobain is geared to reducing CO2
emissions from its processes and its real estate portfolio and,
Since January 2016, an internal carbon price now applies to all
Group Activities to assist in guiding action to reduce CO2
emissions involving investments. Analysis of R&D projects
now uses a significantly higher carbon price than the rate
selected for investments. This measure aims to accelerate the
transition to low-carbon technologies for Group operations.
of the alliance of companies for water and climate change.
This initiative supports the actions of cities and watersheds
involved in the sustainable management of water resources
and adaptation to the consequences of climate change.
Under the Lima-Paris Action Agenda (LPAA, now known as
the Global Climate Action Agenda), Saint-Gobain is a member
An update on the GABC was provided at the COP22 during
the “building day” in which Saint-Gobain was involved.
energy efficient buildings with low greenhouse gas emissions.
Saint-Gobain is also a member of the Global Alliance for
Buildings and Construction (GABC). This alliance, launched by
France and the United Nations Environment Programme
(UNEP) during the COP21 aims to bring states, local
authorities, construction businesses and relevant associations
together by means of a roadmap to smooth the transition to
These commitments, in line with Group objectives, confirm
Saint-Gobain’s desire to contribute to combating climate
change.
Developing the circular economy b)
conjunction with stakeholders in the regions and in
compliance with local regulations is a major challenge for the
Group.
performance. As a responsible stakeholder in sustainable
building, the sustainable management of resources in
Saint-Gobain has two priorities for managing raw materials
and waste: minimizing production waste and optimizing the
recycled content in its products without affecting their
Saint-Gobain is a contributor to the debate on the circular
economy and has repeated its support for strong goals for
the building sector. In France, the Group has been heavily
involved in the AFEP circular economy work group, which
prepared a report and recommendations presented at the
COP22.
The construction sector generates several million metric tons
of waste per year. Saint-Gobain is introducing projects to
recover building or demolition waste, such as waste reduction
at source with eco-innovation, on-site sorting of waste, and
recycling of the waste collected. The Group has contributed
to a number of local initiatives to promote sustainable
building.
the Environment, Energy and the Sea. This innovative
approach is part of a collaborative effort involving public
bodies, the French national union of plaster industries
(Syndicat National des Industries du Plâtre) and key players in
the plaster industry.
In France, in April 2016 Placoplatre signed a green growth
commitment for plaster waste recycling with the Ministry for
the specific goal of analyzing prospects for innovation to
provide for optimal use of resources.
cross-functional program on end-of-life waste recycling, with
Internally, pilot projects are emerging locally, and
cross-functional task forces have been started to identify
resources and potential recycling lines. In January 2014, the
Group Research & Development Department implemented a
present R&D studies, both current and future, being pursued
through the cross-functional program.
As part of this program, a seminar on construction waste
recycling brought together some 40 participants from the
Marketing, Purchasing, EHS and R&D Departments of all the
Activities in the Construction Products, Innovative Materials
and Building Distribution Sectors. These meetings were an
opportunity to emphasize existing internal best practice, to
better understand recycling through the intervention of
outside companies that are experts in this field, and finally, to