Sustainable Construction: Global Challenge… With Local Solutions

Of the 40% of global GHG emissions linked to construction, 69% originate from emerging markets, says a recent IFC - International Finance Corporation (IFC) report. This begs the question: how can sustainable construction become a reality for all, not just for wealthy countries?

• In emerging countries, where city land area is set to grow by 141% between 2020 and 2070, urgent decarbonization of building practices is needed due to rapid urbanization and increasing demand for housing and commercial spaces, as reported by UN-Habitat (United Nations Human Settlements Programme) .
• “Sustainable construction” can take on different meanings across developed and emerging countries, calling for tailored solutions adapted to cultural, political, and legal contexts and capabilities. Each emerging country must choose among the wide range of options for decarbonizing construction based on its unique conditions, financial resources, and existing policy and regulatory contexts, argues the IFC.
• Regulatory context plays a central role in the decarbonization of construction in emerging markets, with 43% of respondents from emerging regions seeing regulation as the key driver of sustainable construction, according to our 2023 Sustainable Construction Barometer (versus 37% globally). To accelerate sustainable construction in developing countries, Saint-Gobain CEO Benoit BAZIN highlights the importance of implementing construction codes that incorporate sustainability factors and promoting greener standards, building codes, and public procurement.
• “In developing countries, the acceleration of sustainable construction will require the implementation of construction codes incorporating sustainability (energy efficiency, carbon footprint, circularity, indoor air quality, thermal and acoustic comfort); to date, only about sixty national codes integrate these requirements” he remarked at the COP28 UAE in Dubai.

• Another reason for prioritizing regulation? By making it “economically viable” to turn to “more sustainable building designs and the use of more sustainable processes, methods, and materials”, regulations can “foster a shift from a short-term, cost-efficient approach to long-term value creation mindset”, said Benoit Bazin.
• For a start, local sourcing of traditional construction materials, which emit less CO2 due to reduced transport needs, can significantly reduce a building's carbon footprint. Efficient and affordable solutions are crucial for the success of sustainable construction in emerging countries. Electrification, reflective roof paint, and window film coatings can improve efficiency at a moderate cost.
• Similarly, incorporating CO2-reducing elements into buildings can also help combine affordability with efficiency. Cape Town’s retrofit of 2,300 homes with solar water heating and roof insulation, for instance, successfully cut costs and improved inhabitants’ health while also boosting the local economy.
• These measures are all the more relevant that, overall, the lack of funding for sustainable construction in emerging regions remains a challenge, with financial needs potentially reaching $1.5 trillion over the next ten years, mainly from China, Latin America, and South Asia, according to the IFC. Leveraging financial instruments such as green mortgages, sustainability-linked debt, and carbon transition bonds can help meet these needs.
• But the sustainable construction transition isn’t only a financial question; it also requires an appropriately skilled workforce. “The education of engineers, designers and construction professionals would go a long way towards the adoption of sustainable construction practices”, says Unnikrishnan AR , Managing Director of Saint-Gobain India Private Limited - Glass Business . In fact, the lack of trained professionals is identified as the first barrier to sustainable construction by 71% of our Barometer respondents from emerging countries.

Innovation station

Mechanical systems sometimes encounter puzzles that defy standard solutions. What if an innovator came along whose job was to imagine and deliver the missing piece ?

• Welcome EQYO - A Saint-Gobain Brand , the new brand that brings together Saint-Gobain Bearings and Saint-Gobain Automotive Polymer Solutions. Its mission? To co-engineer tailor-made components that meet the specific needs of Original Equipment Manufacturers and suppliers in the automotive, robotics, industrial, and consumer sectors.
• As true innovators, the teams at EQYO prototype their designs digitally and physically, from around their 25 bases worldwide. Curious? Watch to find out more!

Window to the future

Hydrogen will play an immense role in the net zero transition… if only we can decarbonize its production.

• Today, hydrogen is mostly produced using coal and natural gas. To fulfil its promise and help decarbonize mobility, chemicals, and materials like iron or steel, its production must transition to using renewable or nuclear energy instead, says the International Energy Agency (IEA) .
• To accelerate this shift, Saint-Gobain has entered into a new strategic partnership with clean hydrogen specialist Gen-hy . The idea? To launch a joint research program to develop and mass-produce AEM membranes, a key component of the water electrolysis process required to make clean hydrogen. Out of eight AEM manufacturers worldwide, seven use rare metals. Not Gen-hy! Instead, the startup has turned to ceramics, an industry where Saint-Gobain has established strong leadership.

Can you guess?

Think your car windows are just car windows? Think again!

• Gone are the days when windows simply provided protection and transparency. Leveraging its glassmaking and electronics expertise, Saint-Gobain Sekurit is defining a new era where windows are actively revolutionizing car design, both inside and out.
• Case in point: the new-generation panoramic, opacifying SolarBay roof can be controlled via Google Assistant and tuned to four different positions. And with its segmented animation, passengers are in for a show! Read more here.

Pioneers

In Brittany, Saint-Gobain PAM Canalisation teams have rallied to take on a daunting logistics challenge!

• In Brittany (France), the AVA (Aqueduc Vilaine Atlantic) project is a 100-km long aqueduct due to connect the two largest factories in the region. Tasked with building its last 59-kilometre segment, PAM found itself faced with a considerable challenge: how to haul 10,000 tonnes of pipe, 650 large-diameter fittings, and 150 pieces of valves from its Lorraine plants to the project site.
• To make the site as ecologically responsible as possible, the PAM team turned to rail transport, using 27 trains to move the materials across the country, effectively replacing 500 trucks and cutting its transport carbon footprint by 70%!
• But the team’s green ambition doesn’t stop there: the pipes installed by PAM are fully reusable and can be transformed into new ones in 100 or 150 years. Find out more about the project from those who made it come true!

Building bridges

In Morocco, the Saint-Gobain Academy is celebrating a major milestone, with more than 10,000 students trained in construction trades!

• The Saint-Gobain Academy is dedicated to equipping professionals with cutting-edge construction techniques, preparing them for the future of the industry. Beyond skill development, it serves as a catalyst for professional integration and is helping advance Moroccan construction towards increased energy efficiency. But the 10,000 mark is just a stepping stone: Saint-Gobain is planning to open two more training centres in 2024!
• On the same note, Saint-Gobain Maroc recently inaugurated its “Virtual Experience Centre”, a first in the country, where trainees can immerse themselves in a virtual environment and visualise and experience the “multi-comforts” offered by Saint-Gobain: “Feel/See/Hear/Breathe”.

Expanding our horizon

Ever scratched your head at words like “Xeriscaping” or “Anthropocene”?

• Then tune into our brand new podcast, Constructing new Wor(l)ds. In five-minute episodes, we decode 20 buzzwords reshaping the worlds of sustainable construction. From “embodied emissions” to “zero carbon”, we’ve got you covered!