As Malvern-based CertainTeed approaches its 125th birthday, the building products brand is embracing sustainability and innovation, writes Jim Vonski for Forbes.

Since its inception in 1904 as the General Roofing Manufacturing Company, CertainTeed has extended its business partnerships globally. It is now owned by France-based Saint-Gobain.  

Its products have been lauded as durable and sustainable by LEED professionals, such as Pittsburgh artist Cory Bonnet.  

“If you’re creating a product that’s more durable than your competitors’, that’s great for sustainability, since it requires less production and extraction,” said Bonnet.  

The brand provides roofing, siding, insulation, fencing, wallboard, and other products. CEO Mark Rayfield, says that the company has shifted its focus over the years on being a “single-source provider.”  

“We’ve transformed into an entity focused on how all the products work together as systems,” said Rayfield.  

Also at the headquarters in Malvern is the company’s Innovation Center, where sustainable building science such as air and vapor batteries are developed. 

CertainTeed takes back construction products that can’t be recycled such as vinyl siding. It uses the waste to make new siding products. The company is aiming towards carbon neutrality by 2050. 

Read more about the Malvern-based building product company in Forbes.  

Saint-Gobain’s solar solutions.