Daily CSR

Saint-Gobain Recognized for Energy Efficiency Leadership by U.S. Department of Energy

2025-05-06T12:27:00+02:00

Saint-Gobain’s Energy Management System (EnMS) Implementation Program has been acknowledged by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) through its Better Plants Program for improving energy efficiency and management. The program successfully trained over 80 employees from 14 different business units across four U.S. sites, helping them gain deeper insights into energy usage beyond typical utility billing. As part of the DOE’s Better Buildings Initiative, the Better Plants Program collaborates with leading manufacturers and water treatment organizations to enhance energy efficiency and competitiveness.

In alignment with its mission to lead in sustainable construction and its vision of "Making the World a Better Home," Saint-Gobain rolled out the EnMS program at four sites: Faribault, Minnesota; Denver, Colorado; Little Rock, Arkansas; and Portage, Wisconsin. This initiative saw 82 individuals receive specialized training, equipping them with the skills to drive the company’s sustainability goals through improved energy management. The success of this project is attributed to the close collaboration with Saint-Gobain’s process sustainability experts and the involvement of engineers from the company’s Essentials of Manufacturing development program. The program is slated for expansion in 2025 and beyond.

"We are proud to receive the 2025 Better Practice award from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Better Plants Program," said Dennis Wilson, Vice President of ESG and General Manager of Circular Economy Solutions for Saint-Gobain North America. "This recognition highlights our ongoing commitment to leading in sustainable construction and prioritizing energy efficiency. I deeply appreciate the dedication of our Essentials of Manufacturing engineers, process sustainability specialists, and plant teams who made this pilot a success."
This milestone is the latest in a series of achievements by Saint-Gobain North America, demonstrating its dedication to innovation in manufacturing:

In April, the company was named a finalist for three 2025 Manufacturing Leadership Awards by the National Association of Manufacturers, recognizing its Circular Economy Solutions team, ONE PRECISION ASSEMBLIES™ by CertainTeed, and Project Engineer CisLee Trost.
In December, Saint-Gobain reported significant carbon emissions reductions at its Oxford, North Carolina roofing facility, made possible by organizational changes and a data-driven approach.
In November, the Shreveport, Louisiana roofing facility achieved a 49% reduction in waste through improved recycling practices and key measures to prevent cross-contamination.

With over 160 manufacturing locations across the U.S. and Canada, every member of the Saint-Gobain team plays a crucial role in advancing the company’s sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations can be found here.

Chemours’ Journey to Decarbonization: Reducing GHG Emissions and Promoting Energy Efficiency

2023-08-28T11:39:00+02:00

Eliminating carbon emissions from American buildings, homes, and factories is crucial in the battle against global warming. These structures are responsible for approximately two-thirds of the country’s CO2 emissions, necessitating a reevaluation of organizational operations to promote a cleaner energy future.

If all commercial, public, and industrial organizations reduced their GHG emissions by 50%, it would result in an annual savings of nearly 1.5 billion metric tons of CO2e - more than the total emissions from all homes in the country.

Through the Better Climate Challenge initiative by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE), Chemours and other organizations have pledged to reduce their Scope 1 and 2 GHG emissions by at least 50% within a decade without resorting to offsets.

Chemours is committed to minimizing its environmental footprint by manufacturing its essential chemicals responsibly. The company has already achieved half of its 2030 target of reducing total Scope 1 and 2 GHGs by 60% through targeted emissions reduction initiatives and operational efficiencies and is working towards achieving net-zero operations emissions by 2050.

Chemours’ New Johnsonville site in Tennessee was recently showcased on the U.S. DOE’s Better Climate Challenge Road Show to demonstrate how the company is reducing GHGs and contributing to decarbonization. The site manufactures a wide variety of Ti-Pure™ titanium dioxide (TiO₂), a key component in architectural and industrial coatings that also enhances energy efficiency. Its solar reflectivity in applications such as white roof coatings, roofing membranes, and solar panel backsheets helps buildings deflect excess heat, reducing cooling costs.

DOE and Oak Ridge National Laboratory experts learned about Chemours’ waste heat recovery system, which generates steam for its New Johnsonville site, as well as its innovative approach to water and energy efficiency. In this episode, data plays a pivotal role in decarbonization, with Chemours demonstrating real-time optimizations to maximize energy savings.

To know more about Chemours’ decarbonization efforts, click here.

Cummins' Latest Solar Installation Honored by U.S. Department of Energy

2023-04-26T10:08:00+02:00

The U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) has recognized Cummins' latest solar installation, which has recently gone online, with a 2023 Better Project Award. The 3.62 megawatt (MW) solar farm, located at Cummins' Rocky Mount Engine Plant (RMEP) in North Carolina, is part of the energy department's Better Buildings/Better Plants initiative that aims to encourage sustainable energy management.

This recognition highlights the efforts of the program's participants in implementing and promoting sustainable energy practices. Cummins has been involved in the initiative since 2011 and is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and improving energy efficiency across all its operations in line with its PLANET 2050 environmental sustainability strategy.

The solar installation at RMEP, which spans across 14 acres, commenced operation in September 2022 and has the capability of producing approximately 5.6 million kilowatt hours of energy annually, which is utilized to power the manufacturing facility, reducing electricity purchased from the grid. This installation features unique solar tracking panels that follow the sun's movement throughout the day, boosting system efficiency without requiring additional panels. The installation was designed to maximize the system size for optimal exposure, and it has the capacity to sequester the carbon equivalent of 4,862 acres annually.

Cummins has a strong commitment to incorporating solar energy into its energy mix and has completed 65 solar array installations at 49 locations globally, including Australia, India, and North America. Since 2019, the company has completed 39 solar projects, with 18 of these installations in India, where Cummins boasts its largest solar footprint. These efforts underline the company's dedication to reducing greenhouse gas emissions, improving energy efficiency, and achieving zero emissions in its operations and products by 2050.