Saint-Gobain North America’s leadership and innovation-forward mindset were honoured this week at the 2026 Manufacturing Leadership Awards Gala held in Scottsdale, Arizona, where the company received the award in the Sustainability and Circular Economy category.
As a leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain was recognized for its industry-leading net-zero carbon manufacturing operations with the recent opening of North America’s first zero-carbon (scopes 1 and 2) gypsum wallboard plant and the largest plant of its kind in the world. The transformative upgrades saw the CertainTeed plant located outside of Montreal, Quebec, completely electrify its operations to now be fully powered by renewable electricity.
“Being recognized by our peers at this year’s Manufacturing Leadership Awards for our stewardship in sustainability could not fill us with a more immense sense of pride,” shares Mark Rayfield, CEO, Saint-Gobain North America. “All of our teams across North America are committed to advancing sustainable and resilient construction that will transform the industry. Our innovative zero-carbon (scopes 1 & 2) gypsum wallboard plant in Montreal is a living testament to this shared commitment of Making the World a Better Home.”
A world-class sustainable feat for CertainTeed
Officially completed in September 2025, the numerous facility upgrades to support the electrification and decarbonization of the CertainTeed Sainte-Catherine (Quebec, Canada) operations also helped decrease energy usage by up to 30% and boost production capacity by up to 40%.
With the new process and equipment, CertainTeed’s plant has reduced its CO2 emissions by 44,000 tons per year – which is equivalent to the average emissions of 14,000 cars annually. This milestone also marks the launch of a new Infinaé CarbonLow gypsum wallboard category in Canada that is estimated to have up to 60% less embodied carbon cradle-to-gate.
Infinaé is Saint-Gobain’s highest performance, lowest climate impact range of gypsum solutions engineered to lead the way in construction with products made right here in Canada.
Recognizing North America’s manufacturing excellence
Established in 2005, the Manufacturing Leadership Awards are administered by the Manufacturing Leadership Council (MLC), the National Association of Manufacturers’ digital transformation division. The awards recognize operational and leadership excellence and the companies and leaders that are shaping the future of global manufacturing.
About Saint-Gobain
Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services adapted to the residential, non-residential and infrastructure markets. Its integrated and innovative solutions provide sustainability, performance and well-being for its customers. The Group is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.
€46.5 billion in sales in 2025
More than 162,000 employees, locations in 80 countries
Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050
