Saint-Gobain and TimberHP Enter Partnership to Offer High-Performance Wood Fiber Insulation in North America

Originally published by Business Wire on May 28th, 2024

MALVERN, Pa.–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Inc., and TimberHP, a manufacturer of insulating wood composites, today announced that they have entered into a collaborative relationship, which will enable CertainTeed to distribute TimberHP’s wood fiber insulation products in North America, including as the exclusive distribution partner in Canada. Executed in close collaboration with NOVA by Saint-Gobain, the company’s venture arm, this partnership will continue to drive Saint-Gobain’s vision to be the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction and will improve its own sustainable offerings and readiness to respond to customer needs.

TimberHP, located in Maine, is a startup company that grew out of a partnership between two entrepreneurs—Matthew O’Malia, an award-winning architect with a reputation for developing high-performance, cost-competitive designs; and Dr. Joshua Henry, a materials chemist with years of experience elevating solutions to conserve energy and produce renewable energy. They utilize residual wood chips and hydroelectricity to manufacture nature based sustainable insulation solutions from wood fiber, which aligns with Saint-Gobain’s global sustainability goals. When fully launched, the offering will include loose fill, batt, and rigid board insulation products.

“Driven by our Purpose of Making the World a Better Home, this exclusive partnership with TimberHP enhances the sustainable solutions we are bringing to our stakeholders throughout Canada,” said Julie Bonamy, Chief Executive Officer, Saint-Gobain Canada. “This is a welcome addition to Saint-Gobain Canada’s light and sustainable construction portfolio, which will further our vision to provide a full offering of building materials and solutions to our customers.”

“It is a huge vote of confidence in our technology and our team at TimberHP to partner with a brand as innovative and impactful as CertainTeed,” said Joshua Henry, Chief Executive Officer of TimberHP. “It is essential that we mold the future of construction to be exceptionally easy, effective, energy-efficient and sustainable, and we look forward to addressing those industry needs together.”

This exciting partnership comes as Saint-Gobain continues its commitment to growth and sustainability in North America. Last month, the company announced its third major acquisition in Canada in the last two years with its intent to acquire The Bailey Group of Companies, a leading Canadian manufacturer of commercial metal framing and building solutions. In addition, work is currently underway to upgrade equipment at CertainTeed Canada’s gypsum wallboard plant outside of Montreal, which will transition the plant away from fossil fuels to being powered by hydro-electricity, creating North America’s first and the world’s largest zero carbon production drywall plant (Scopes 1 and 2 emissions).

With TimberBatt and TimberFill products already available in the United States, CertainTeed and TimberHP are working closely to bring these solutions to the Canadian market in the near future.

About TimberHP

GO Lab, Inc. (dba TimberHP) is a manufacturing company that produces thermal and acoustic wood fiber insulation products for the residential and commercial construction market. Located at its Madison, Maine facility, TimberHP is the first—and only—company to manufacture insulating wood fiber composites in North America, building on a successful 20-year history of production in Europe. TimberHP insulation is manufactured from sustainably produced wood chip residuals, and is a high-performing, cost-competitive, scalable, renewable and carbon sequestering alternative to existing market solutions. When operating at full capacity, TimberHP Madison will produce almost 20 tons of product an hour, utilize over 250,000 green tons of softwood residuals per year, generate $168 MM of revenue, and employ 144 people.

About CertainTeed

With innovative building solutions made possible through its comprehensive offering of interior and exterior products, CertainTeed is transforming how the industry builds. As leaders in building science and sustainable construction, CertainTeed makes it easier than ever to create high-performance, energy-efficient places to live, work and play, so that together we can make the world a better home.

A subsidiary of Saint-Gobain, one of the world’s largest and oldest building products companies, CertainTeed has more than 6,900 employees and more than 60 manufacturing facilities throughout Canada and the United States. www.certainteed.ca

About NOVA by Saint-Gobain

NOVA, the external venture arm of Saint-Gobain, identifies forward-thinking startups around the world whose philosophies align with Saint-Gobain’s focus on sustainability and digital. It helps those startups nurture their ideas and grow their companies to scale through partnerships and investment. With a presence in Asia, Europe and North America, NOVA by Saint-Gobain connects the global startup community with the power, resources, and experience of Saint-Gobain to address the needs of today and challenges of tomorrow. Learn more by visiting https://www.nova-saint-gobain.com and www.saint-gobain.com.

About Saint-Gobain

Worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.

€47.9 billion in sales in 2023
160,000 employees, locations in 76 countries
Committed to achieving net zero carbon emissions by 2050