Net Zero Carbon

KEY MILESTONES ON OUR CARBON Neutrality Journey

We are committed to becoming carbon neutral by 2050. On this journey, we will meet two key milestones:

• By 2025, we aim to reduce our scope 1 and 2 emissions by 20% at iso-production compared to 2010.

• Five years after that, in 2030 we will reach even more ambitious targets, validated by Science-Based Targets, of:

- 33% reduction in scope 1 and 2 absolute emissions from a 2017 baseline*.

- 16% reduction in scope 3 absolute emissions from a 2017 baseline.

Today, Saint-Gobain pursues a range of methods to reduce our direct emissions on our sites (scope 1), indirect emissions mainly linked to the use of electricity (scope 2), and emissions upstream and downstream of our value chain (scope 3). 

These methods include product design and new composition for materials, making industrial processes more energy efficient, moving our energy mix towards low-carbon and renewable sources, working with partners who supply raw material and those who transport our products to lower their emissions, and finally, investigating carbon capture and sequestration solutions for residual emissions.

On into the future, we adapt these methods to uncertainty - as new technologies, solutions and challenges emerge. 

We use a scenario-based approach, looking at different technical options and the development of economic circumstances to be ready, by 2030, to make the decisive investment and development decisions to achieve our 2050 goals.

We see our goals in steps – the first being reductions in Scope 1 and 2 emissions by 2025, and then further milestones for broader and even more ambitious reductions by 2030.

USING LESS CARBON-INTENSIVE DESIGNS & MATERIALS

•    Lighter products, less carbon-intensive raw materials, finding more sustainable substitutions for existing materials, influencing our partners and transport networks to be less carbon efficient

USING LESS ENERGY AND USING IT BETTER

•    Changing processes to use less energy
•    Better energy efficiency or reuse of energy
•    Working on our energy mix, to make it less carbon intensive,
•    Electrification of certain operations
•    Switching to renewable / decarbonized energy sources

 INFLUENCING OUR NETWORK TO DECARBONIZE TOGETHER

•   Working with raw material suppliers
•   Working with transport networks

FINDING OPTIONS TO SEQUESTER THE CARBON WE EMIT

•    Supporting new and exciting technology that helps to remove C02 from the atmosphere, capturing it using advanced chemical reactions or natural solutions, storing it in everything from underground reservoirs to concrete and plastic building materials.

•    Reduction of 30% in absolute terms compared to actual emissions in 2017, and of 33% compared to 2017 emissions as adjusted for acquisitions made between 2017 and the date of the targets' approval.

A STRONG COMMITMENT TO SUPPORT OUR PATHWAY TO CARBON NEUTRALITY

The Group is rolling out measures to support its roadmap towards to carbon neutrality.

•    CSR objectives now represent a larger share of long-term management incentive criteria: their weighting is raised from 15% to 20%, with CO2 objectives increasing from 5% to 10%.

•    In addition, two internal carbon prices are used: €30 per ton for industrial investments and €100 per ton for R&D investment in breakthrough technology.

•    Finally, the Group will allocate a budget of around €100 million per year until 2030 to targeted capital expenditure and R&D investments in order to achieve its targets.