Romania: Saint-Gobain Romania has completed construction of a new 1730-panel solar power plant at its Turda gypsum wallboard plant in Cluj County. Electronics retailer Visual Fan supported the project, which will contribute ‘significantly’ to meeting the plant’s energy consumption. When commissioned, it will reduce the Turda plant’s CO₂ emissions by 238t/yr. Romania’s government partly funded the installation under its National Recovery and Resilience Plan.

Saint-Gobain Romania CEO Ovidiu Păscuțiu said “This project represents an important step for Saint-Gobain in the direction of adopting renewable energy and reinforcing our commitment to the environment. It is a concrete example of investments made to optimise our production processes by reducing internal energy consumption. We have an ambitious sustainability goal – net zero carbon emissions by 2050. We will achieve this by investing in innovation, new technologies and a portfolio of solutions that pave the way for lightweight and sustainable construction.”

US: Xeriant will begin to produce its Nexboard alternative wallboard for sale at some time in the near-term future after making further recipe adjustments focused on ensuring fire safety. The company has contracted large-scale production to a ‘well-established’ producer, with which it is currently in the setup stage. It is also in talks with a bank about finance.

CEO Keith Duffy said "After initial fire testing at a national certification laboratory in June 2024, we engaged a polymer chemist to refine Nexboard's composition with a focus on passing the rigorous NFPA 286 fire safety test. This step followed several modifications in the base material and fire-retardant compositions and the finalisation of a production method that ensures the highest-volume, best quality and lowest-cost output. This extensive research and testing over many months has led us to believe that the additional changes will enable Nexboard to meet or even surpass the existing code requirements for building materials used in our targeted applications."

Belarus: The Council of Ministers has issued Resolution 688, effecting a temporary ban on exports of most foreign gypsum from the country. Business World Magazine News has reported that the ban only affects gypsum that originates outside of Belarus and Russia.

World: Germany-based Knauf and its insulation subsidiary Knauf Insulation have consolidated their online presence with a new website, knauf.com. The site offers access to the group’s entire product range. Knauf said that the shift is intended to help customers to increase their productivity.

Knauf Ibérica marketing and technical director Pablo Maroto said "This new platform reinforces our commitment to innovation and facilitates access to our solutions at a global level."