Gypsum industry news

US: National Gypsum has donated US$1m to 42 schools and non-profit organisations in the US and Canada. Employees from subsidiaries including Gold Bond Building Products, Gold Bond Canada, PermaBASE Building Products, ProForm Finishing Products and Unifix nominated the beneficiaries.

Chair Thomas Nelson said that initiatives of this kind are “crucial in equipping the next generation with the skills and knowledge to become innovative leaders.”

Egypt: Knauf Egypt has entered into a partnership to supply Hassan Allam Construction with building materials for more than 100 upcoming projects. Arab Finance News has reported that Knauf Egypt’s delivery on the contracts will reflect its commitment to the Egypt Vision 2030 national sustainable development strategy.

Knauf Egypt recently invested US$640,000 in a collaboration with the German Society for International Cooperation to train 4000 Egyptian construction sector specialists per year.

Canada: Saint-Gobain Canada has partnered with Women Building Futures (WBF) as part of its Build Change corporate social responsibility programme. The partnership involves a donation and support for WBF’s training programmes and coaching. Together, the partners hope to increase the economic security of women in the construction sector.

CEO Julie Bonamy said "Women Building Futures’ work to remove barriers for women in industries where they are traditionally under-represented, like construction, is vital to creating the workforce of tomorrow, while ensuring everyone has an opportunity to succeed. At Saint-Gobain, we are proud to support this incredible organisation and are excited to get started to build change in our community and our industry."

Germany: A working group of gypsum producers in the Harz region has supported the Mission: Urban Forest Rescue 2024 reforestation initiative in Osterode, Lower Saxony. The group, including CASEA, Saint-Gobain, Rump & Salzmann and VG Orth, donated €12,500 to the initiative.

The Mayor of Osterode, Jens Augat, said "We are pleased about the companies' commitment to conservation, which goes far beyond the required level.”

US: Out West Drywall is among building materials producers that have donated their products to non-profit organisation Habitat for Humanity’s latest affordable housing development in Montrose, Colorado. Local press has reported that the producer donated its gypsum wallboard for use in the development. Habitat for Humanity uses the economic process of shared appreciation to give its homeowners 5% composite annual growth in the equity value of their new homes over 20 years. Its goal is to raise living standards by increasing access to housing.

Belgium: Etex has donated five sustainable modular housing units to families dispossessed by flooding in the summer of 2021. The company built the houses at Rochefort and Pepinster in two weeks and their assembly took 48 hours. Etex said that it plans to develop the construction method in future in order to meet needs and new trends in the housing sector.

Bernard Delvaux, chief executive officer of Etex said “It was important for us to donate our expertise through these five houses built in a circular way with a very low carbon footprint. Our modular construction technologies meet multiple housing needs around the world with the fast construction of affordable, well-insulated, high-quality and attractive living spaces.”

Spain: France-based Saint-Gobain subsidiary Saint-Gobain Placo has donated plastic linings produced at its Quinto de Ebro laminated gypsum wallboard plant in Zaragoza to use in the production of personal protective equipment for medical professionals caring for coronavirus patients and those vulnerable to the virus. These include home-helpers who attend 250 elderly people in the Ribera Baja del Ebro region.

On 23 April 2020 Spain’s confirmed coronavirus case count was 213,024, with 22,157 deaths.