Saint-Gobain starts production of zero-carbon plasterboard

Plasterboard production at a Saint-Gobain plant (Image: Saint-Gobain)

Construction products manufacturer Saint-Gobain has started production of decarbonised plasterboard at a plant in Norway.

The company said it had decarbonised the manufacturing process by switching from natural gas to hydroelectric power, avoiding 23,000 tonnes of CO2 emissions per year.

Saint-Gobain has also reduced the plant’s energy consumption by 30% by improving heat recovery and process efficiency, at the same time as boosting production capacity by 40%.

It said that the developments would allow construction companies to reduce the carbon footprint of buildings using the plasterboard.

It will launch a full range of the decarbonised plasterboard products this year.

The changes at the Fredrikstad plant in Norway came after a €25 million investment, including a €7 million subsidy from the Norwegian state enterprise Enova.

Saint-Gobain has set itself a target to reduce its scope 1 and 2 CO2 emissions by 33% by 2030 compared to 2017, with a commitment to becoming carbon neutral by 2050.