More than 207,000 Saint-Gobain employees throughout the world celebrated the company's 3rd annual International Environment, Health & Safety Day on 15 May 2008. "The aim of this special day is to underline the importance of the environment, health & safety within Saint-Gobain", said J Aschenbroich, CEO of Pennsylvania-based Saint-Gobain Corporation. "It's a great opportunity for us to come together with co-workers from over 50 different countries to reaffirm our collective commitment to safeguarding ourselves, our colleagues & our environment". At more than 350 manufacturing & distribution locations in the US & Canada, Saint-Gobain employees took part in activities ranging from health screenings to community cleanups to fire extinguisher training & 'forklift safety rodeos.' Although many of the activities are lighthearted, the underlying message is serious. "As the world's largest building materials company, we are only too well aware that buildings are responsible for nearly 50% of energy consumption in the USA - far more than industry or transportation. Americans are devoting more and more of their income to heating and cooling their homes, with consumer spending on energy topping USD 500 billion in 2007", said Mr. Aschenbroich.The International Environment, Health & Safety Day will educate employees about what Saint-Gobain is doing to help find solutions to these global issues. "Saint-Gobain spends USD 563 million a year on research & development, much of it focused on producing energy efficient materials for the home and office of the future.
