Sustainable Construction: Canada and Global Trends Revealed by the Saint-Gobain Barometer

While we might see ourselves in Canada at the avant-garde by being more environment-friendly and eco-conscious, this year’s Barometer paints a different story as it appears that we still have a blind spot when it comes to sustainable construction.

• Only 22 per cent of Canadians say they have heard about sustainable construction and know exactly what it is – compared to 38 per cent globally.
• Only two Canadians out of four (52 per cent) believe implementing more sustainable construction solutions should be a priority vs. the world where it is three out of five (60 per cent).
• Top action Canadians believe could help accelerate implementation of sustainable solutions is to make material, products and solutions more affordable (38 per cent).

The good news for Canada is that:

• Key stakeholders that play an active role in the country’s construction industry (professionals, students, associations and elected officials) are knowledgeable about sustainable construction and know exactly what it is about in a proportion of 71 per cent – slightly above the global results of 67 per cent.
• This is also a steep increase compared to 2024 where that number was only at 51 per cent, a +20-points gain year-over-year.
• 91 per cent of stakeholders also believe we need to do more and seven out of ten (70 per cent) believe we must make implementing sustainable solutions a priority.

Canada is well positioned compared to the rest of the world as Canadian stakeholders are more likely to associate key concepts to sustainable construction and advance their adoption, which is especially true with the following notions:

• Good insulation of the building envelope at 77 per cent (vs. 45 per cent globally) – most likely due to our rigorous winter weather, insulation is evidently top of mind in Canada.
• Building energy efficiency at 85 per cent (vs. 67 per cent worldwide).
• Using renewable or carbon-free energies at 80 per cent (vs. 66 per cent globally) – with accessible renewable energy options in Canada, this category predominance also makes sense.

 As Canada is facing both a housing crisis and experiences an increase in extreme weather events due to climate change, it appears more important than ever to tackle those challenges together and think about building more resilient and sustainable housing solutions.

A deeper dive

At the crossroads of demographic, social, energy, and climate challenges faced by societies, the construction sector must accelerate its transformation towards a more sustainable model. This involves designing a built environment that positively contributes to the health and well-being of individuals, is resilient to climate hazards, has low carbon emissions, and provides accessible housing for all – without compromising on quality or performance.

This transition cannot happen without the collective commitment of all industry stakeholders. It is with this goal in mind that Saint-Gobain launched the Sustainable Construction Observatory in 2023. As part of this initiative, the 3rd edition of the Sustainable Construction Barometer, a global study conducted with Occurrence–IFOP, is presented today. It measures the progress made on this essential topic.

This study is structured around 24 questions, asked to 4,000 stakeholders representative of the sector, along with an additional 27,000 citizens who responded to four specific questions. The responses helped identify key levers to accelerate sustainable construction in Canada

Benoit Bazin, Chairman and CEO of Saint-Gobain says, “The conclusion is simple: we must act now. For sustainable construction to become the norm, it must be better understood and fully integrated into the expectations of both citizens and professionals. Beyond its environmental impact, its tangible benefits in terms of comfort, health, and well-being are still too often unknown or underestimated. To scale up, a global approach adapted to local realities is essential, taking into account uses, territories, and on-the-ground realities.”

Jean-Claude Lasserre, CEO of Saint-Gobain in Canada says, “Both the housing and environmental challenges Canada face today are key topics that need to be tackled together to build a better future for all Canadians. This year’s Barometer results clearly show that there is a need for the construction industry to foster collaboration amongst all key players to raise awareness around sustainable construction’s environmental, societal and monetary benefits. Building more resiliently and sustainably is not only an aspiration – it is a necessity.”

A global analysis to accelerate sustainable construction all around the world

Launched in 2023 on a scope of 10 countries, the Sustainable Construction Barometer now covers 27 countries, with a broad spectrum of stakeholders: professionals, students, elected local officials / local government representatives and members of associations. New this year, the survey also surveyed 27,000 regular citizens, giving them a voice in the debate on sustainable construction.

Four key learnings

• Greater awareness, a shared sense of urgency, and strong public support.
• A general, shared desire to go further. Across the board, private actors are seen as the most legitimate driving force, though regional priorities differ.
• A notion still centered on the environment, but resilience is gaining ground, while residents’ well-being remains secondary.
• Well-informed but insufficiently trained stakeholders, which hinders concrete commitments.

A greater awareness of sustainable construction

67 per cent of stakeholders claim to have a good grasp of the concept of sustainable construction. This figure has risen by 6 points over the past year.

The perceived urgency to act on the subject remains high: 69 per cent of stakeholders consider the implementation of more sustainable construction a priority. This stable result is backed up by a perception shared by citizens, who are on board with the issue: 60 per cent consider it a priority, and 95 per cent consider it important. The challenge now lies in converting this high level of stakeholder and public awareness into concrete actions, while taking local specificities into account.

In Canada, the proportion of stakeholders claiming to have a good understanding of sustainable construction rose by 20 points year over year to stand at 71 per cent. But the country faces a challenge when it comes to its general citizen population where only 22 per cent of Canadians say they have heard about sustainable construction and know exactly what it is. Also, Canadians are less likely (52 per cent) than in the rest of the world to believe implementing more sustainable construction solutions is a priority.

Beyond the consensus to accelerate the sector’s transition, the role of private players is praised

8 per cent of stakeholders believe that we need to ‘go further’ in sustainable construction. Those involved in the design phase, positioned upstream in the value chain, appear as essential drivers: 56 per cent of stakeholders consider architects and engineering firms to be the most legitimate players to advance this transition, followed by private companies in the sector at 44 per cent.

However, priorities vary widely from region to region:

• In Asia-Pacific, Africa and the Middle East, the adaptability of buildings appears to be a recurring concern.
• In Latin America, the use of eco-friendly materials is emerging as a key issue.
• Europe stands out for its strong interest in building renovation.
• In North America, the issue of affordability is more to the fore. 

This diversity of regional challenges underlines the importance of tailoring sustainable construction strategies to local specificities, while preserving a strong global dynamic.

A definition still largely associated with the environment, but resilience is gaining ground, while well-being remains in the background

While stakeholders claim to better understand the concept, they still associate sustainable construction primarily with environmental issues. The energy efficiency of buildings (35 per cent) and the use of ecofriendly materials (31 per cent) remain the main criteria for defining the concept.

Resilience in the face of climatic hazards is becoming an increasingly important issue. This topic has seen the strongest growth since the previous edition, reaching 21 per cent (+8 points compared to 2024). Its importance varies by region, topping concerns in Africa (35 per cent) and Asia-Pacific (32 per cent), regions particularly exposed.

The ‘human’ dimension of sustainable construction is still struggling to gain acceptance and remains relegated to the background. Only 15 per cent of stakeholders and 15 per cent of citizens associate sustainable construction with improved occupant well-being, even though this aspect could play a key role in its acceptance and deployment.

Stakeholder awareness still insufficiently translated into concrete commitments

Although stakeholders claim to be familiar with sustainable construction, only 28 per cent say they are fully informed on the subject, and 35 per cent of professionals have taken dedicated training. This still partial mastery of the subject may explain a certain limit to concrete commitments.

• 78 per cent of students consider training in sustainable construction to be differentiating for employment, but only 40 per cent would refuse an offer from a non-committed company.
• 67 per cent of professionals say they assess the carbon footprint of their projects, but only 30 per cent do so systematically.
• 51 per cent of elected representatives say they would like to exclude non-committed projects from public procurement contracts, but only 37 per cent have taken this step, a result (+26 points compared to 2024) which is nevertheless an encouraging sign.
• 51 per cent of associations plan to call for a boycott of companies deemed to be under-invested, but only 24 per cent have taken action.

The challenge for all value chain actors is therefore to transform this collective awareness into concrete actions. This challenge is a tremendous opportunity for mobilization.

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Focus on sustainable construction in Canada

With Canada being part of the global survey for a second year, it appears that industry stakeholders remain engaged towards sustainable construction and see it as a priority.

But there is a clear need for more awareness and education within the Canadian population as only 22 per cent have heard and know what sustainable construction is.

Top three actions that need to be put in place to accelerate the development of sustainable construction:

Stakeholders

• Raise awareness among all stakeholders and strengthen their collaboration (40%)
• Train professionals more (30 per cent)
• Make sustainable material, products and solutions more competitive (29 per cent) – it was 39 per cent in 2024, an improvement in understanding the cost of sustainable solutions

Canadians (general population)

• Make sustainable material, products and solutions more competitive (38 per cent)
• Prioritize the use of bio-materials over conventional materials (26%) & Raise public awareness of the challenges of sustainable construction (26 per cent) and make sustainable performance of constructions more visible and transparent (26%)

Beyond the Barometer, the Sustainable Construction Observatory

The Sustainable Construction Observatory, launched in 2023, is also structured around Sustainable Construction Talks – meetings held internationally, alongside major multilateral events, but also at national level – and an online media Constructing a Sustainable Future, which today publishes its third special edition in paper and flipbook formats on the theme: “Sustainable Construction: How to keep innovating?”. Through the eyes of experts and inspiring projects, this edition explores the levers needed to accelerate the sector’s transformation towards more sustainable construction.