Canada: Saint-Gobain Canada has appointed Jean-Claude Lasserre as its CEO, effective 1 April 2025. Lasserre brings over 30 years of experience working for Saint-Gobain across multiple continents, most recently serving as Saint-Gobain Surface Solutions CEO in France. Lasserre succeeds Julie Bonamy, who oversaw US$2.77bn in strategic acquisitions for Saint-Gobain Canada, including of metal products company Bailey Group of Companies, roofing company Building Products of Canada and siding products company Kaycan.

Lasserre said "My primary focus will be to connect with our customers and support our teams as we continue our work to offer a complete portfolio of building products with our recent acquisitions, while reinforcing our commitment to sustainable construction. We are eagerly anticipating the completion of North America's first zero-carbon wallboard plant in Sainte-Catherine, Quebec, and the imminent launch of CarbonLow drywall."

Russia: Türkiye-based Parget Makina has begun construction of a plaster plant for Litox under an engineering, procurement and construction (EPC) contract.

In a post to LinkedIn, Parget Makina General Director Cevdet Karaibrahimoğlu said that the site of the project is in Southern Russia, where Litox is a leading producer of plaster and dry mixes.

Mexico: Researchers at the National Autonomous University of Mexico have developed Sargapanel, a sargassum seaweed-based alternative wallboard. The team says that Sargapanels can replace traditional gypsum-based boards and tiles in wall and ceiling applications. It can also help to clear Mexico’s Caribbean beaches of the common organic deposit.

Italy: Eco Avant-Garde has launched a new product from its Eco Gypsum 64 gypsum wallboard recycling system. The system can now produce pulverised paper pellets as fuel for dryers at gypsum wallboard plants. Eco Avant-Garde highlighted the evident circular economic potential of the advance in a post to LinkedIn.