2021 was an outstanding year for Saint-Gobain, marked by the successful execution of our Grow & Impact plan, in the service of our strategy to position the Group as the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction; a year of commitment, with the acceleration of our strategy in terms of corporate social responsibility. Saint-Gobain achieved record financial performance in 2021 and was able to make the most of a very dynamic market environment. Made possible by the very high level of commitment of the teams worldwide, this robust momentumallows theGroup to continue tomove forward and aim for another year of growth in 2022. The 2021 results, underlined by a strong increase in the share price, are first and foremost the result of the expertise and unfailing mobilization of all Saint-Gobain employees, under the responsibility of a new management team. With 50% non-French, eight nationalities and nearly 40% women, this new Executive Committee reflects the wealth and diversity of our talent on a global scale. This is also the result of two major developments. First, a new organizational structure. This is based on the complete success of our Transform & Grow competitiveness plan, undertaken three years ago and which has created an organization with simplified governance, a rapid decision-making process and a widespread culture of trust, empowerment and col laboration. Local leaders, who are native to their country in more than 90% of cases, now control all of Saint-Gobain’s activities within their scope, as close as possible to their teams and customers. This new multi-local organization allows the Group to develop an offering of integrated solutions and systems that enhances the full scope of its range of activities in each country. Saint-Gobain is thus able to provide solutions to complex market issues, driven by requirements for both performance and contribution to sustainable development. Positioned by country as close as possible to its customers, the Group anticipates their expectations by combining its expertise, developing new products and services, implementing all its innovation know-how and exploiting the wealth of data it generates throughout the value chain. The second major change concerns the optimization of our business profile, through the disposal of the least performing assets, and the acquisition of high-growth and profitable companies, perfectly aligned with our strategy. After the successful acquisition of Continental Building Products Saint-Gobain is able to provide answers to complex market issues. Message from Benoit Bazin Chief Executive Officer of Saint-Gobain in 2020, it is this approach that has led us to develop a global leadership in construction chemicals, thanks in particular to the two significant acquisitions announced in 2021, Chryso and GCP Applied Technologies. The chal lenge underlying al l these transactions is the same: to make Saint-Gobain an ever stronger Group and to consolidate our performance in terms of growth - superior to that of our markets - and profitability. The trends such as climate change, the scarcity of natural resources, rapid urbanization in emerging countries, digitalization and changes in lifestyles require the widespread adoption of new construction methods, which are innovative, more frugal and respectful of the circular economy; they call for effective solutions for the renovation of buildings and the comfort of their users; and for the decarbonization of industry. These three vectors of structural growth are the development areas of Saint-Gobain, which has the broadest range of solutions on the market and an unrivalled positioning. Because our strategy is implemented in an integrated manner, our operational performance systematically takes into account environmental, social and governance criteria. We are resolutely deploying our CSR strategy, which is at the heart of our development model. The Group has an ambitious CO2 roadmap for 2030; details of the reduction of our direct and indirect emissions, contained in this roadmap, have been validated by the SBTi (Science-Based Targets initiative). Minimizing our footprint and maximizing the positive impact of our solutions are the two aspects of Saint-Gobain’s day-to-day actions. We have been included in the “Climate Change A List” established by CDP. Emissions avoided thanks to the environmental performance of the solutions sold by the Group in one year are 40 times larger than its current carbon footprint. In addition, thanks to the attractiveness of the Saint-Gobain brand as an employer, for the 7th consecutive year we have been recognized as a “Top Employer Global”, a distinction that reflects the exceptional level of commitment of our employees around the world. We can be proud of that, and I would like to congratulate and thank them. In this context, and excludingmajor impacts of the geopolitical situation, I am confident in our ability to continue to progress in 2022, by achieving another year of growth, both financial and extra-financial, thanks to our very good positioning on markets which are structurally buoyant over the long-term.
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