Saint-Gobain North America, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed LLC, has upgraded equipment at its roofing plant in Shakopee, Minnesota, which is projected to save over 5,000 MWh of electricity per year and reduce carbon emissions.  

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 energy at its manufacturing sites.  

The Shakopee facility, which began operations in 1974 and is a member of the US Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program, has upgraded key equipment used in the production of roofing shingles. These upgrades include the installation of three new, energy-efficient air compressors with control functions, two new refrigerant air dryers and the installation of a new hot oil heater. The facility will replace an additional hot oil heater later this year, resulting in additional energy savings. 

“As we continue our leadership in light and sustainable construction, we must continuously work to minimize the environmental footprint of our production processes,” said Carmen Bodden, Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed Roofing Product Group. “These upgrades in Shakopee are an excellent example of how Saint-Gobain prioritizes energy efficiency while working to make the world a better home.”  

This project follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:

Q4 Highlights: October- December:

• Saint-Gobain and TotalEnergies signed a 10-year renewable electricity supply agreement expected to offset nearly 33% of Saint-Gobain North America’s Scope 2 emissions from electricity and started up operations at its new electrical powerhouse on its flagship campus in Worcester, Massachusetts, which is projected to reduce the site’s carbon dioxide emissions by 50%.  

• During this quarter, Saint-Gobain North America at its CertainTeed Gypsum location in Buchanan, New York, in collaboration with three New York partner companies, also launched a circular economy initiative, reclaiming waste gypsum wallboard to reuse as feedstock in its production.

Q3 Highlights: July- September:

• Saint-Gobain announced it will save two million gallons of water per year at its CertainTeed Social Circle, Georgia siding plant after installing a smart water meter system and upgrading manufacturing equipment. 

• The company also 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 reducing the site’s carbon dioxide emissions by 2,260 tons/year and its upgrade of key equipment at its Buchanan, New York gypsum plant, saving nearly 700,000 kWh of electricity per year.

Q2 Highlights: April – 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 addition, the company also announced how its newly installed recycling technology at its gypsum wallboard plant in Nashville, Arkansas would save 65,000 tons of material per year from landfill and how a partnership at its SageGlass electrochromic glass production site in Faribault, Minnesota, would save 1,000 tons of material per year from landfill over the next five years. 

Q1 Highlights: January – March:

•  Saint-Gobain North America announced it would install heat recovery technology at its CertainTeed gypsum manufacturing site in Vancouver, British Columbia, reducing the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by 10% and improving its energy efficiency.

•  In addition, the company also announced a $32 Million investment in upgraded equipment at its CertainTeed insulation plant in Chowchilla, California, reducing the facility’s carbon footprint by more than 4,000 metric tons per year. 

With over 120 manufacturing locations in the United States, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including the roofing facility in Shakopee, can be found on the company’s careers website. 

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 75 countries    

Committed to achieving Carbon Neutrality by 2050