EPA Recognizes Verallia with ENERGY STAR® Award for Continued Leadership in Energy Conservation

Verallia North America, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain and a leading producer of glass containers in the U.S., has been awarded the ENERGY STAR^® Sustained Excellence Award by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) for the second consecutive year. The award recognizes outstanding leadership in energy management and reductions in greenhouse gas emissions.

“We will continue to identify and implement best practices across our company that will enable us to further reduce energy consumption.”

“This continued recognition by the EPA is a true testament to our ongoing commitment to operate in a sustainable manner,” said Joseph R. Grewe, President and CEO of Verallia North America. “We will continue to identify and implement best practices across our company that will enable us to further reduce energy consumption.”

Overall, this is the fourth consecutive year that Verallia and Saint-Gobain’s other North American businesses have been recognized by the EPA with an ENERGY STAR Award. Saint-Gobain and its subsidiaries were awarded the ENERGY STAR Partner of the Year Award in 2009 and 2010, and attained the prestigious level of Sustained Excellence in 2011 and 2012. Verallia continues to be the only manufacturer of glass container to be honored by the EPA.

The Sustained Excellence Award recognizes consistent efforts to use energy efficiently in facility operations and to integrate superior energy management into overall organizational strategy. Award winners are selected from organizations that participate in the ENERGY STAR program. The accomplishments of Verallia and Saint-Gobain’s other businesses will be recognized at an EPA awards ceremony in Washington, D.C., on March 15.

“As we celebrate the 20^th anniversary of the ENERGY STAR program, EPA is proud to recognize Saint-Gobain with the 2012 ENERGY STAR Sustained Excellence Award,” said EPA Administrator Lisa P. Jackson. “Verallia and all our ENERGY STAR award winners are helping Americans find cost-effective ways to save energy in everything we do, which is good for our climate, our health and our future.”

The EPA is recognizing Saint-Gobain and Verallia for leadership in implementing a wide range of process improvements and energy management practices over several years. Since 2008, Saint-Gobain has improved energy intensity (the amount of energy used to produce a unit of product) by 11.9 percent. In 2011, the company’s subsidiaries in North America, including Verallia, were able to reduce their energy intensity by 3.6 percent – equivalent to the amount of energy needed to make approximately 836 million typical glass containers. In addition, the energy savings achieved equate to avoiding more than 116,063 tons of carbon dioxide emissions last year.

As part of its overall business strategy, Verallia has established various environmental objectives for its business, including the reduction of carbon dioxide and other air emissions, water consumption and waste. A vital element in helping achieve these objectives is the need to increase the availability of recycled glass, called cullet. Using cullet in the manufacturing process reduces energy usage, saves raw materials, and results in further decreased emissions. Verallia is working with its suppliers and government officials to identify ways to increase cullet availability.