sain t-gobain annu al report 2008 annual report

HOOSICK FALLS SLASHES ITS ENERGY BILLS
In the United States, the Saint-Gobain Performance
Plastics facility in Hoosick Falls, New York, has just
acquired a new regenerative thermal oxidizer (RTO),
a more effective system for capping its emissions.
The new RTO captures seven times the energy
of the previous system, thereby slashing nearly a million
dollars from the site’s propane costs each year
and reducing its annual greenhouse gas emissions
by several thousand tons. To cut operating costs, the site
worked with Saint-Gobain NorPro, which manufactures
products for RTO systems, and developed ceramic tools
specially designed for applications that produce high
levels of dust. Eager to promote projects that improve
energy efficiency in the state, New York’s Energy
Research and Development Authority awarded
Saint-Gobain a $250,000 grant for the oxidizer project.
Transport-related CO2 emissions
Our businesses give rise to transport-related CO 2 emissions
at the various stages of the product manufacturing
and distribution process. Transferring raw materials
to the factory, transporting certain products to a second
site for additional processing and delivering finished products
to the distribution outlet all generate emissions.
The issue is of particular concern for the Building
Distribution Sector, which has set up a reporting system
to track these emissions. The system has enabled the Sector
to streamline the delivery process by changing supply sites,
modifying delivery routes and improving inventories.
The Lapeyre group has adopted a strategy of identifying
alternatives to road transport, so that it can reduce
the environmental impact of its transport operations in terms
of pollution and CO 2 emissions. Lapeyre products arriving
by ship at the port in Le Havre are now being transported
by river to the logistics platform in Les Mureaux outside Paris,
via the Port of Limay. This has enabled Lapeyre to replace over
1,300 road vehicles with 65 barges and, in the process,
reduce its CO 2 emissions significantly, since transporting
a container by barge generates half the carbon dioxide
of overland vehicles. Lapeyre expects to expand its use
of river-borne transport. Moreover, with its 11 factories across
France, Lapeyre is choosing to transport its finished goods
by river wherever the appropriate infrastructure exists.
Barge transport substantially reduces the number of vehicles
on the road and consequently leads to lower CO 2 emissions.
Goods from outside France – such as tiles from Italy – are
commonly transported via river links as well. This strategy
of seeking out alternatives to road transport offers clear
benefits in the case of the Building Distribution Sector,
but is being adopted in other Sectors as well. For example,
some 40% of Saint-Gobain PAM products are transported
to their destination entirely via sea, river and/or rail links.
TIMBER REDUCES COSTS
AND CARBON EMISSIONS
Timber, a company that supplies SGBD UK & Ireland,
has tested an innovative system for reducing both its costs
and its carbon emissions. The company chartered
an entire vessel to transport wood from Sweden.
At its first stop, at the port of Sheerness in Kent, the ship
delivered cargo destined for London and south-east
England. Additional cargo was then loaded for transport
to Norman Ltd., an SGBD company based in Jersey,
and the Moreys chain on the Isle of Wight.
To reduce truck fleet fuel consumption, Point.P
and Raab Karcher in Germany have launched an extensive
Responsible Driving program to educate their drivers
on better driving practices that will save fuel and cut down
on CO 2 emissions. This customized training has improved
fuel consumption by as much as 15%. Several other initiatives
are also being undertaken by Point.P. Various regional units
in France are progressively capping truck speed at 80 kph,
reducing consumption by 3%. In the greater Paris region
and Bordeaux, vehicles are being equipped with onboard
computer systems that display and monitor each driver’s
actual use of fuel and can help reduce consumption
by up to 7%.
As part of its Responsible Procurement initiative, one of
whose primary goals is to reduce carbon dioxide emissions,
the Building Distribution Sector is taking steps to improve
its fleets’ emissions performance. Based on the results,
these measures are likely to be extended to the entire Sector
and to other Group facilities.
In addition, Saint-Gobain’s purchasing department, SGA, is
now using CO 2 emissions as a criterion when selecting vehicles
for long-term lease, and is a member of the Transport taskforce
at Entreprises pour l’Environnement, a non-profit organization
of which the Group is a member.
CO 2 emissions and energy consumption
at our office buildings
Energy-efficient buildings play an extremely important role
in any strategy for reducing greenhouse gas emissions.
That is why we have pledged to achieve a fourfold reduction
in overall energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions
at our office buildings by 2040 as part of the company
Actions for the Reduction of Energy by 4, or Care:4 project.
To do this, each building’s thermal performance must
be made consistent with the most stringent national
standards such as PassivHaus and Effinergie. If no national
standard exists, the building must meet the strictest
possible target for energy content and the highest
efficiency value for the local climate. The campaign
extends to any heated or air-conditioned workplace
owned by the Group, with the exception of production shops,
MANAGEMENT REPORT
57
Saint-Gobain - 2008 Annual Report