Earth Day 2025: Reflections from Saint-Gobain Africa
This Earth Day, we invite you to reimagine the construction industry in Africa with us. We imagine an ecosystem of stakeholders collaborating to innovate solutions with a low footprint on the planet and high value in building cities. We envision the construction industry as a circular economy that is inclusive and ensures the health of people and the planet. According to the World Green Building Council (WGBC) by 2050, Africa will be home to 1.1 billion more people than it is today [1]. This creates a huge demand for buildings, of which, 80% have not yet been built [1].
This presents a unique opportunity for the construction sector to consider how we want to build Africa.
Africa is experiencing climate change at a slightly accelerated rate (+0.3 °C per decade from 1991 to 2023) [3], threatening livelihoods, food and water security, and public health. The construction industry exacerbates this crisis through CO2 emissions, freshwater consumption, and biodiversity loss [4]. This necessitates the need for collective action in revolutionizing the construction industry to ensure the well-being of our local communities, whilst reducing business costs and creating climate-resilient business models [2].
Some practical steps that we believe can pave the way to this vision:
1. Innovation in our operations:
Innovating towards circularity of economy is a big step towards building Africa in a way that utilizes resources responsibly, whilst reducing waste discharge. Circular economies reduce their resource consumption through design and innovation, reusing materials where possible, whilst recycling waste products to create a closed loop. Adopting circular economy practices (big or small) is how we not only protect our resources but also, ensure climate-resilient supply chains which can potentially reduce business costs [2].
Some inspiring, big and small steps that we’ve taken across our hubs:
- Our Kenya Hub collects and recycles industrial jumbo bags with a capacity of 1.2 tons. Instead of being discarded after use, they are collected, inspected, and reused up to 20 times across multiple delivery cycles. This system not only minimizes packaging waste but also reflects our commitment to resource efficiency and operational excellence.
- Our team in Ethiopia has gotten creative in their sustainability efforts at their manufacturing plant. They’ve transformed old pallets and wood into a recreational space, complete with traditional Ethiopian huts and over 800 newly planted trees!
- At the Mauritius plant, a.b.e uses effluent water generated during cleaning processes which is now reused in the production of water-based products. This innovative practice, implemented in 2023, reduces water wastage and supports sustainable manufacturing.
2. Striving towards improved environmental accounting and transparency
Tracking the current environmental impact of company activities creates a clear picture of the environmental impact of the company and is the first step in mapping how to reduce the environmental impact.
One of the ways that the Saint-Gobain Group has set out to improve our environmental accounting is to achieve a 100% LCA on all product ranges by 2030. An LCA tracks the environmental footprint of our product from cradle to grave. Find out more about the importance of LCA’s here.
In line with this commitment, Saint-Gobain Africa is excited to introduce the upcoming FutuRE range; a new selection of sustainable construction solutions designed to enhance efficiency and minimize environmental impact, while maintaining the same cost. Each of these products has a third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) and a positive contribution to at least one strategic sustainability criterion such as a minimum of 10% reduction in CO2.
3. Creating an ecosystem of stakeholders to ensure sustainability is at the right cost.
Collaborating to reduce reliance on natural resources and reduce environmental footprint provides an opportunity to create climate-resilient supply chains and business models whilst potentially reducing business costs.
Our large-scale solar energy project in collaboration with CVE in South Africa has been designed to cover around 40% of the electrical needs of its major production sites in Brakpan, Alrode and Germiston in Gauteng, and Parow in the Western Cape. It is an initiative that will help offset more than 3537 tons of CO2 emissions annually across the sites.
This Earth Day, we reaffirm our commitment to building a sustainable, inclusive, and resilient construction industry in Africa. By taking steps towards transparency, collaboration, and a circular economy we can create a real impact for people and the planet. Together, let’s reimagine the future of construction in Africa.
Bibliography:
[1] WBGC Africa. World Green Building Council. April 14, 2025.https://worldgbc.org/africa/
[2] Unegbu, Hyginus CO, D. S. Yawas, B. Dan-asabe, and A. A. Alabi. "SUSTAINABLE CONSTRUCTION MODELS IN NIGERIA: A SYSTEMATIC REVIEW." Jurnal Mekanikal (2024): 109-127.
[3] World Meteorological Organization. "Africa Faces Disproportionate Burden from Climate Change and Adaptation Costs." World Meteorological Organization, September 2, 2024. Accessed April 14, 2025.
[4] Tam, V. W. Y., et al. (2022). Multidimensional aspects of sustainable construction in developing nations. Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews, 35, 456–468. https://wmo.int/news/media-centre/africa-faces-disproportionate-burden-from-climate-change-and-adaptation-costs