New Delhi/Mumbai, 19 February 2024: Saint-Gobain, a global leader in light and sustainable construction, announces its association with ‘Build Ahead’, a business-led coalition founded by Xynteo, a purpose-driven advisory firm that helps the world’s largest organisations uncover people and planet-positive ways to grow. The partnership was unveiled during the coalition’s flagship event, ‘The Exchange’ in New Delhi on 15th February 2024. The event brought together key players from various sectors, including cement producers, construction players, financiers, and technology enablers to create an enabling ecosystem for the scale-up of decarbonization technologies at pace, as well as for the increased use of energy-efficient and low-carbon building materials.
Over 40% of India's total energy consumption is currently accounted for by buildings. Today, the construction sector is witnessing a paradigm shift to minimize its carbon footprint. Given the scenario of rapid urbanization, sustainable construction plays a pivotal role in addressing challenges like climate change, resource scarcity, and clean environment among others. Saint-Gobain Glass India, through its portfolio of products and solutions, is already pioneering light and sustainable construction by reducing carbon footprint while enhancing occupant comfort. Globally, the Group has taken it upon itself to achieve Net Zero Carbon by 2050.
Mr. A. R. Unnikrishnan, Managing Director – Glass and Glass Solutions said, “At Saint-Gobain, our purpose is to make the world a better home. The planet that we call home today has to continue as a home for future generations too. As stakeholders in the built ecosystem, we have a huge responsibility to reduce our carbon footprint. The construction value chain from raw material manufacturers, architects and designers, real estate developers to end occupiers can play a huge role in decarbonizing our built ecosystem by actively collaborating. I’m sure coalitions such as ‘Build Ahead’ will enable active collaborations towards a decarbonized India and we are happy to contribute to this initiative.”
Mr. Anand Santhanam, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer, Glass Business, Saint-Gobain India said, “Glass is one of the most versatile and more sustainable building materials and plays a vital role in modern construction. It offers transparency, natural light, solar and thermal insulation, contributing to energy efficiency and occupant comfort. Saint-Gobain Glass India has always pioneered products and solutions for sustainable construction. Accelerating our efforts towards a decarbonized built environment, we have recently launched, India’s first Low-carbon glass with an estimated carbon footprint reduction of approximately 40% compared to our existing products. It is but natural for us to be a part of ‘Build Ahead’ and join hands with forward-looking industry players. We strongly believe our association with this coalition will further amplify active collaborations amongst like-minded stakeholders in ushering in a sustainable future.”
The ‘Build Ahead’ Coalition aims to support India’s pledge of achieving net-zero emissions by 2070,by increasing the adoption of low-carbon building materials in the design, construction, use, and end-of-life phases of real estate, construction, and infrastructure projects.
The event in New Delhi "The Exchange" is dedicated to empowering businesses in their pursuit of responsible and sustainable innovation. The event features multiple platforms for stakeholder dialogues like "The Square," where industry leaders, policymakers, and change-makers engage in insightful discussions, while "Studios" facilitate focused roundtable discussions on key themes. Additionally, "The Marketplace" offers a platform for emerging startups to showcase solutions for sustainability challenges globally. Saint-Gobain Glass India is participating in all the platforms enabling active stakeholder conversations during the event.
Saint-Gobain Glass India joins a prestigious group of forward-leaning businesses in the coalition, including Lodha, JSW, Godrej, Ultratech, and other industry leaders. This diverse coalition represents a significant step forward in addressing the challenges of decarbonization in the Indian construction sector.
