Saint-Gobain: How is Sustainable Construction Implemented?

The Sustainable Construction Barometer, developed by Saint-Gobain’s Sustainable Construction Observatory, has been published for the fourth time.

The barometer explores how sustainable construction is understood and implemented throughout the sector in order to drive meaningful change.

It is built off insights across more than 30 countries, exploring regional priorities and disparities in order to accelerate the transformation of the sector.

Industry impact

Saint-Gobain is a French multinational manufacturing company, aiming to lead in light and sustainable construction. The company designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services that are adapted to specific markets. Its solutions are innovative and integrated in order to provide strong performance and sustainability for its customers.

The construction industry is one which has recently begun its decarbonisation journey, as it is historically an emissions-heavy sector. In 2022, it was responsible for approximately 33% of global carbon emissions, with more than 50% of that being caused by the use of cement. Growing urbanisation is putting the sector at a cross-roads, but it is also encouraging the use of innovation and responsible practices in order to meet demand while avoiding a negative environmental impact. 

Leading companies are now championing sustainability, adopting circularity into their operations or focusing on decarbonisation strategies. Through this, they have found that impact can blend with profitability throughout their projects.

The Sustainable Construction Barometer acts to inform stakeholders and the wider public of sustainable construction. It explores perceptions, barriers, drivers of progress, emerging solutions and the stakeholders who are leading the way in responsible operations. 

"Sustainable construction is progressing. But it is not accelerating at the pace we need, yet," explains Thierry Bernard, CEO of Southern Europe, Middle East, and Africa Region at Saint-Gobain.

"The number is improving, but it reveals something important. The challenge we face today is not rejection. It is hesitation. And hesitation is something we can work on. 

"We are at a turning point. Awareness is high, the need to act is widely recognised, and the solutions are available. Yet there is still a gap between ambition and execution. Closing this gap is now our collective responsibility. To do so, we need to move from a discourse of ambition to a discourse of proof."

The study

The barometer is a quantitative study based across stakeholders and citizens across 30 countries. The stakeholders – made up of construction professionals, students, members of associates and local officials – answered through a self-administered online questionnaire, whereas the citizens answered in an online omnibus questionnaire. 

The barometer reveals that there is a clear gap between ambition and implementation, with companies around the world struggling to implement real change across their projects. As a result, the integration of sustainability is uneven across regions, meaning that it is not a natural consideration into cost and performance strategies. 

The report has revealed five key takeaways for the construction industry, exploring the gap between intention and ability to scale these impacts. 

"Expectations are evolving, but they are not yet consistently reflected in decision frameworks. The question is therefore shifting: under which conditions sustainable construction becomes, early on, a rational choice," adds Fabienne Robert, Director, Sustainable Construction Observatory and International External Relations at Saint-Gobain.

"This also reframes the challenge ahead: creating the conditions for large-scale adoption by making sustainable construction more understandable, more measurable and more actionable for all stakeholders.

"This is precisely the ambition of the Sustainable Construction Observatory. By bringing together data, perspectives and field insights, we aim to contribute to a more informed and collective approach to the transformation of our sector."

Core areas for action

The barometer has revealed five main areas where there is a disparity between stakeholder ambition and citizen realisation. 

1. Sustainable construction is unevenly adopted
Even though it is an established concept – with 67% of stakeholders and 39% of citizens claiming an understanding of the concept, alongside 94% of stakeholders and 84% of citizens having an awareness of it – the awareness has variations across regions and countries. The awareness is lower in Asia-Pacific (58%) than in the Middle East (75%), but even countries in the same region have great disparities. Though sustainable construction is emerging as a concept, the adoption is occurring at different speeds.

2. Benefits should be better highlighted
Resilience is gaining favour as a driver of sustainable construction. Since the 2024 edition, it has repeatedly increased as an important factor for both stakeholders and citizens. 

3. The value of sustainable construction
The question of the value behind sustainable construction is a split one in the barometer's readings – 47% of stakeholders believe it drives more value than traditional construction, but only 34% of elected officials say the same. The competitiveness of solutions is a crucial driver for sustainable construction, with those against it citing excessive costs and a lack of performance guarantees for users. Leaders need to demonstrate that there are tangible benefits from sustainable construction.

4. Gaps between intention and action
Though leaders agree that there needs to be a speed up of implementation, with 87% of stakeholders believing the projects should go further, momentum is based on cooperation. However, there is a continuous delay between intention and action, with only 32% of professionals routinely assessing carbon footprints. Though 55% of leaders 'intend' to carry out projects, only 30% already do. 

5. Citizen impact on deployment
The barometer explores how citizens are impacting the acceleration, with 63% of citizens viewing the development of sustainable construction as a priority. As well as this, nearly one-third of stakeholders and citizens view public awareness as an essential driver of progress. 

Visibility has been demonstrated as a vital role in accelerating adoption of sustainable construction. The gap is clear between intention and action, but ongoing visibility and clear benefits of action are slowly driving the increase of implementation.