This year Siniat continues its sponsorship of the Women in Sustainability category of the Sustainability Awards, but under a new name.

So, what else has changed?

Name change

Earlier this year the Knauf metal and plasterboard business in Australia was purchased by the Etex Group. The business name has officially changed to Etex Australia Pty Ltd, and all products and services have been rebranded to Siniat.

Siniat is one of the Etex Group’s flagship commercial brands and one of the leading global manufacturers of interior and exterior materials for drywall construction.

The name change means new branding, a new website and Siniat signage at all plants and factories, but everything else has stayed the same, and the company remains committed to further research and development to help customers achieve their sustainability goals.

This vision is shared and backed by the multinational Etex Group. The Group has just published its first Sustainability Report, sharing their ambitions and progress in four main areas: carbon neutrality; health, safety and well-being; waste management and circularity; and diversity and inclusion.

“Under Siniat we will continue to explore ways to make construction more sustainable, and we’re looking forward to working together with clients to ultimately help them build better,” said Managing Director Gavin Burton.

“Under Knauf we were the first plasterboard manufacturer to offer carbon neutral certified board to the market. We have since extended the carbon neutral offer to all metal and plasterboard products manufactured in Australia, and it is available to customers who choose to opt in,” Gavin added.

Sustainability offering

Siniat’s current sustainability offering, including the Siniat Opt-in Carbon Neutral program, certified under the Australian Government’s Climate Active Program (formerly NCOS), has not changed as a result of the purchase of the company by the Etex Group.

“We are very pleased that Etex has embedded sustainability in their purpose, ‘Inspiring ways of living’,” said Siniat National WHS & Sustainability Manager, Kathryn Walker.

“Etex also identified sustainability as one of their six key strategic priorities, so becoming part of the Group came naturally for us,” Kathryn said.

Kathryn explained that as a result of the transaction, Siniat Australia can confidently look forward to improving their sustainability offering even further.

“Obviously integrating our businesses has been a multi-faceted and time-consuming task, but in the first couple of months after the transaction we have already had very promising and exciting discussions with the Etex Group regarding improving our existing sustainability programs in Australia,” she said.

“We will keep everyone updated, but we are looking forward to improving our sustainability offering and hope to make some announcements soon.”

Siniat Marketing Manager Stephanie Olsen said Siniat’s continued sponsorship of the Women in Sustainability category is another indication of their ongoing commitment to promoting sustainable building solutions and empowering women in the field.

“We wish to support female architects for the wonderful work they’re doing. The previous winners – Natasha Mulcahy in 2019 and Nadine Samaha in 2020 – were brilliant, and this year’s category finalists did not disappoint. They have all been involved in very inspiring projects and each of them will be a worthy winner in 2021.”

Stephanie further emphasised Siniat’s ongoing commitment to sustainability. “The recent IPCC report on climate change made it clear: if we don’t act now, it will be too late. At Siniat we will work together with our customers to reduce the impact of construction on the environment and to help them build better, safer and more sustainable buildings.”

Siniat is sponsoring the Women in Sustainability category of the Sustainability Awards

Find out more here.