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."

Uzbekistan: The Committee for the Development of Competition and Protection of Consumer Rights has classified Knauf Gips Buxoro as a ‘dominant company’ in the gypsum wallboard market. An analysis by the committee ascertained that the producer’s market share exceeds 40%. The designation will require Knauf to conform to specific rules regarding pricing, supply and conditions that affect competition.

US: Eagle Materials raised its sales in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year to US$609m, up by 1% year-on-year. Its adjusted earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (EBITDA) grew by 5% to US$225m. The group’s Light Materials segment raised its sales by 2%, to US$248m, 41% of group sales. Its operating earnings grew by 5%, to US$103m. A rise in gypsum wallboard prices offset a 1% decline in sales volumes to 70.3Mm² of wallboard, while paperboard sales volumes rose by 10% to 91,000t. The segment also reported a drop in operating costs, including for energy.

CEO Michael Haack said “Our portfolio of businesses continued to perform well, despite adverse weather conditions during the quarter across many of our core markets. Underlying fundamentals in our markets continue to be favourable, and we expect demand for our products to remain steady for the balance of the year. In addition, despite some interest-rate sensitivity, residential construction activity remains resilient, given chronic housing-supply shortages and continued underlying demand strength. Our well-positioned balance sheet, significant cash flow generation and consistent, disciplined operational and strategic execution through shifting economic cycles position Eagle for another strong fiscal year."

Iran: A gypsum exporter has despatched a trial shipment of 50 containers of ground gypsum by rail from Qom to Yiwu, China. Trend News Agency has reported that the trial is the outcome of successful negotiations between China, Iran, Kazakhstan and Turkmenistan in April 2024. The 15-day train journey passes through all four countries. The containers will transfer trains at the Etrek rail terminal in Turkmenistan, in order to circumvent issues of rail gauge differences between countries.