SUSTAINABILITY SUSTAINABILITY IN S
ustainability is becoming a more influential differentiator in construction, and in some sectors it is now a baseline expectation. Regulatory pressure, embodied carbon scrutiny, and increasingly informed clients are reshaping expectations across the supply chain.
For builders’ merchants in particular, this shift presents both a responsibility and an opportunity – to move beyond product availability and play a strategic role in enabling lower-carbon outcomes through product choice.
Cement-based products, renders, and mortars remain essential to the built environment and the sector faces a dual challenge to deliver products that meet the highest technical standards while reducing their environmental impact. Meeting this challenge demands collaboration across innovative product design, manufacturing, workforce capability, and supply chain transparency.
Product
A key development in recent years has been the rise of quality, embodied carbon data as a commercial differentiator.
Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) are increasingly expected in tender submissions and specification documents. For merchants, access to independently verified environmental data, produced to the latest high standards with an end-to-end view of production, is becoming as important as price or availability. Within Saint-Gobain Exterior Solutions we will have EPDs for 55% of our products by the end of 2026, reflecting a broader industry trend toward measurable transparency over generalised sustainability claims.
However, disclosure alone is not enough. Reformulation is equally important using reduced-cement technologies and supplementary cementitious materials to enable meaningful reductions in embodied carbon while maintaining durability and
MINERAL PROCESSING Caroline Rowley, business development director, Saint-Gobain Exterior Solutions
compliance. K Rend has launched several products in recent times - GP Mix, K Post and Mineral TC, which exemplify this approach, incorporating cement replacement technology to cut manufacturing-related embodied carbon by up to 56% in selected products. This signals a wider structural shift in the sector, highlighting that sustainability must be engineered into products from the outset, not treated as an afterthought – an ethos very much championed by Saint-Gobain Exterior Solutions
Performance
Operational accountability is increasingly defining credibility. Manufacturing sites face growing pressure to demonstrate measurable progress in energy use, water stewardship, and waste reduction.
At Saint-Gobain Exterior Solutions, water metering systems have been introduced to monitor consumption and identify inefficiencies. Rainwater harvesting has been implemented at our Flitwick site, with similar systems under consideration at our Larne headquarters. These initiatives reflect an industry-wide recognition that responsible resource management underpins long-term resilience.
Energy transition is another priority, and we are currently exploring the feasibility of using Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO) for plant equipment at our Larne site.
Considered individually, each measure contributes incrementally; taken together, they establish a comprehensive and credible carbon reduction pathway for construction solutions production.
Place
Manufacturing facilities are embedded within local economies and communities, and site- level environmental performance is vital for responsible behaviour.
Strengthening operational resilience, reducing waste, and improving environmental reporting all contribute to sustaining trust across regional supply chains. For merchants,
March 2026
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locally manufactured products backed by transparent environmental data offer reassurance regarding compliance, continuity, and reduced transport-related impacts. As procurement frameworks increasingly reference carbon accounting and regional value, this local dimension is likely to become even more important.
People
It is important to note that technologies and systems alone cannot drive change. Cultural transformation within organisations is essential.
Industry-wide training initiatives, such as the Climate Fresk programme which has been undertaken by 95% of Saint-Gobain Exterior Solutions colleagues to date, highlight the importance of building climate literacy across teams and reassurance to our colleagues that we are invested in making a positive difference.
When sustainability is understood at every level, it becomes embedded in decision- making rather than confined to specialist departments. For builders merchants, this human dimension is hugely important. The merchant counter is often where intention becomes action, and contractors and builders rely on trusted advice to interpret environmental data and evaluate alternative specifications.
Merchants who confidently engage with embodied carbon data, prioritise products with verified EPDs, and promote lower-carbon options as standard practice play a pivotal role in normalising sustainable construction. At Saint-Gobain Exterior Solutions, our ambition is to ensure that sustainability is integrated across all the brands and functions rather than siloed. Our 360-degree approach reflects the direction in which the wider sector must move.
The challenge now is to convert intent into measurable progress, ensuring our construction products remain technically robust and compatible with a lower-carbon built environment. BMJ
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