> Improved formulations Around the world, innovation is spreading, allowing traditional materials to be reinvented. Take concrete, for example. Considered the black sheep of construction as it is responsible for 8% of global greenhouse gas emissions, it owes its poor carbon footprint to its manufacture. This is because it is made of cement, aggregates, and water. And that's the crux of the problem. Made of clinker, a mixture of clay and limestone, cement is baked at more than 1400°C in fossil fuel burning furnaces. In addition to using huge amounts of energy during this calcination phase, clinker releases a lot of CO2. But low-carbon formulations or formulations that don't contain clinker are beginning to emerge. The new custom-made EnviroMix® low carbon concrete solutions from CHRYSO Saint-Gobain achieves CO2 emission reductions of up to 50%. Neo-cements made from raw clay, industrial waste, or byproducts are also emerging as serious alternatives. This is the case, for example, with decarbonized mortars from Weber Saint-Gobain. Here, cement is being wholly or partly replaced by blast furnace slags or fly ash from coal mining or combustion. This has resulted in concrete with a much lower carbon footprint, contributing to resource savings and waste recovery. Isover glass wool is also produced with environmentally conscious principles. One of the causes of its reduced carbon footprint is the glass composition. Isover glass wool is made with up to 60% cullet – recycled glass from, for example, windscreens or bottles. Manufacturers can be creative with materials, conserving resources while reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions. But this creative use of material wouldn't work without the modernization of manufacturing processes. Modernized industrial processes There are several levers to modernize equipment and facilitate the decarbonization of industrial processes. This includes the electrification of furnaces, better thermal insulation of equipment and transitioning from coal, fuel oil or gas to biomass, biogas or green hydrogen. Strongly committed to an industrial modernization strategy, Saint-Gobain is set to invest more than €60 million in its plasterboard plant in Montreal, to switch from natural gas to green electricity in Greenhouse gas emissions generated directly by the company from owned or controlled assets. For example, emissions linked to fuel combustion in boilers, vehicles, or furnaces. Scope 1 : Indirect emissions generated during the production of the energy that a company purchases. Scope 2 : All indirect emissions – not already included in scope 2 – that occur in the company’s value chain, both upstream and downstream. Scope 3 : 53 CONSTRUCTING A SUSTAINABLE FUTURE
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