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Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed LLC, has installed a smart water meter system and upgraded equipment at its siding plant in Social Circle, Georgia, reducing the site’s consumption of water by more than two million gallons per year.
The project comes as Saint-Gobain continues to roll out its global Grow and Impact strategy, which includes ambitious environmental sustainability goals, such as reducing the company’s consumption of water and other natural resources at its manufacturing sites.
In Social Circle, CertainTeed uses process water to cool equipment that is used to manufacture its Restoration Millwork trim, a polymer composite that provides a maintenance-free alternative to wood trim. Water is additionally used in vacuum pumps to help extract fumes that are created during specific steps in the manufacturing process.
The smart water meter system works by allowing the plant to more closely manage how much water is used at each step in the manufacturing process and in other everyday uses at the facility. Leaks and accidental overuse are pinpointed and fixed quickly. The plant has also invested in a closed loop system for its vacuum pumps, which allows the facility to reuse the water needed for its ventilation process.
“Through creative problem solving and by embracing new technologies, our team in Social Circle has improved our plant’s efficiency and sustainability profile,” said Joe Bondi, Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed Sidings Product Group. “Our team will continue to look for ways to maximize our company’s positive impact, for our customers and the communities where we operate, while working to minimize our environmental footprint.”
CertainTeed’s Social Circle plant began operations in 1969 and sits on more than 35 acres of land approximately 50 miles southeast of Atlanta. Today the plant is home to 60 employees and is hiring for several roles in engineering, administration and operations. A complete list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including the CertainTeed site in Social Circle, can be found on the company’s website.
The investment in water-saving technology in Social Circle follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:
- In August, the company announced its intent to install equipment at its Palatka, Florida gypsum plant that will increase the recycled content in its wallboard products by 18,000 tons/year while also reducing the site’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2,260 tons/year.
- In July, Saint-Gobain announced the upgrade of key equipment at its Buchanan, New York gypsum plant, saving nearly 700,000 kWh of electricity per year and also reducing the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- In June, Saint-Gobain announced a $91 Million CAD investment in its gypsum plant in Montreal, creating the first zero-carbon manufacturing site for wallboard in North America and increasing the plant’s production capacity by 40%.
- In May, Saint-Gobain announced its newly installed recycling technology at its gypsum wallboard plant in Nashville, Arkansas would save 65,000 tons of material per year from landfill.
- In April, Saint-Gobain entered into a recycling partnership at its SageGlass electrochromic glass production site in Fairbault, Minnesota, saving 1,000 tons of material per year from landfill over the next five years.
- In March, Saint-Gobain North America announced it would install heat recovery technology at its CertainTeed gypsum manufacturing site in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by 10% and improve its energy efficiency.
- Also in March, Saint-Gobain announced that through its virtual Power Purchase Agreement with the Blooming Grove Wind Farm in McLean County, Illinois, and additional renewables contracting, the company received renewable energy certificates that effectively reduced approximately 33% of its CO2 emissions from electricity usage in 2021 in the United States and Canada.
- In February, the company invested $32 Million to upgrade equipment at its insulation plant in Chowchilla, California, reducing the facility’s carbon footprint by more than 4,000 metric tons per year.
- In January, Saint-Gobain North America donated a zero energy ready house in Canton, Ohio, made with more than 20 of its own products, to Habitat for Humanity.
About CertainTeed
Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has helped shape the building products industry for more than 115 years. Founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm’s slogan “Quality Made Certain, Satisfaction Guaranteed,” inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is a leading North American brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, solar, fence, railing, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings. www.certainteed.com.
About Saint-Gobain
Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME.”
€44.2 billion in sales in 2021
167,000 employees, located in 76 countries
Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050
For more details on Saint-Gobain, visit http://www.saint-gobain.com and follow us on Twitter @saintgobain.