Saint-Gobain’s 360-Year Legacy Spotlighted in Archibuild Magazine

Saint-Gobain, a global leader in sustainable construction, celebrates its 360th anniversary in 2025 with its '360 Years Young' campaign, marking three and a half centuries of innovation as it continues to drive breakthrough design and light construction solutions that provide sustainability and performance.

"At 360 years young, Saint-Gobain continues to be driven by a pioneering and innovative mindset. We are singularly focused on building better for people and the planet with circularity, decarbonisation and reducing environmental impact at the core of everything we do. As we celebrate this milestone over 360 days, we look forward to contributing our expertise to enhance the wellness of communities across 80 countries around the world, including Singapore and Malaysia, with more sustainable habitats and environments," said Lynette Siow, CEO of Saint-Gobain Singapore and Malaysia. Saint-Gobain cemented this milestone with a gala night that was held on 28 March 2025 at JW Marriott Singapore, attended by 260 of its partners, team members and customers, where the company reinforced its commitment to build a healthier, fairer, and more inclusive world and achieve its goal of net zero carbon emissions by 2050.

Slingshot 2023

With 30 year of presence in Singapore, Saint-Gobain has been part of the Singapore story since the 1980s, with a strong focus on advancing Singapore's green building revolution through cutting-edge materials and nurturing startups that drive innovation construction methods through its venture capital and innovation arm, NOVA. Saint-Gobain has provided its innovation products and solutions for the construction of iconic projects in Singapore, including Bird Paradise, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and the recently launched Rainforest Wild Asia, amongst others.

Interview with Lynette Siow

When did you join Saint-Gobain and what is your role in the company?

I joined Saint-Gobain in 2015 and currently serve as the Chief Executive Officer for Singapore and Malaysia. In this role, I lead a team of over 1,000 professionals across 11 state-of-art manufacturing facilities in both countries, with a focus on driving revenue and profit growth. My commitment to aggressive organic growth and strategic mergers and acquisitions has resulted in 5 times increase in revenue.

What motivates Saint-Gobain to be at the forefront of the green revolution in Singapore?

Singapore's dynamic innovation ecosystem and commitment to green infrastructures present tremendous opportunities to be at the forefront of sustainable construction.

What strategies is Saint-Gobain using to drive sustainability in Singapore?

As we celebrate 360 years of global expertise, we are doubling down on our commitment to partner with local startups, researchers and developers to build Singapore's greener future. We have put a strong focus on advancing Singapore's green building revolution through cutting-edge materials and nurturing startups that drive innovation construction methods through its venture capital and innovation arm, NOVA. Through NOVA, Saint-Gobain is actively shaping Singapore's construction technology landscape by investing in and partnering with promising early-stage startups focused on sustainable building materials, circular economy solutions, and construction productivity tools. NOVA has already nurtured successful Singapore-based startups in its portfolio including Livspace, a tech-driven interior design platform, and C-Cube, which specialises in modular construction solutions. NOVA continues to grow its collaborations with more startups in Singapore and Southeast Asia through initiatives such as the Sustainability Open Innovation Program with Enterprise Singapore, and through strategic partnerships, such as Saint-Gobain’s collaboration with smart construction solutions provider DaFang AI to promote robotic wall ﬁnishing solutions in Singapore. In 2023, the company launched the "Build the Future" startup challenge in partnership with Enterprise Singapore's Slingshot competition, scouting for innovative deep-tech solutions to transform the construction industry.

What green initiatives has Saint-Gobain embarked on?

Saint-Gobain has participated as a platinum partner and domain expert judge in the 2024 CapitaLand Sustainability X Challenge, evaluating breakthrough solutions for construction decarbonisation and building wellness.
Saint-Gobain recently completed the acquisition of FOSROC, a leading construction chemicals company in Asia and emerging markets. The acquisition further expands Saint-Gobain’s construction chemicals portfolio to include cement additives and grinding aids, reinforcing its commitment to providing advanced materials and integrated solutions. At present, Saint-Gobain Singapore brings together 12 business units under one roof, delivering comprehensive solutions for energy-eﬃcient buildings, healthier living spaces, and industrial decarbonisation that align with Singapore's Green Mark Certiﬁcation and 2030 Green Plan. Saint-Gobain has also conducted signiﬁcant investment in research and development to reduce their existing products’ carbon footprint, through utilising renewable energy and low-carbon raw materials-lowering its overall footprint to 20-25% in 2017. The company continues to make headway in its sustainability roadmap. This includes incorporating 30 percent recycled content in its packaging, as well as circularity projects to reduce its reliance on virgin raw materials, as well as oﬀering low-volatile organic compound (VOC) paint and coatings and other light solutions.

Can you name us some iconic projects of Saint-Gobain in Singapore?

In Singapore, Saint-Gobain has provided its innovative products and solutions for the construction of iconic projects, including Bird Paradise, Marina Bay Sands, Gardens by the Bay, and the recently launched Rainforest Wild Asia, amongst others.

Looking ahead, what are your goals for Saint-Gobain?

Looking ahead, Saint-Gobain plans to expand its collaborations with Singaporean universities and government institutions such as the Singapore Green Building Council and the Building and Construction Authority while continuing to support the nation's ambitious sustainability targets through its net-zero carbon roadmap.