French building materials giant Saint-Gobain plans to invest nearly $1 billion in India over the next five years as part of a strategic shift in its growth focus from Western Europe toward emerging markets, the company’s global CEO Benoit Bazin said.

Speaking to ET, Bazin described India as a critical market for the next decade. “The number one criterion of growth in building materials and solutions for sustainable construction is population growth. India, with 1.4–1.5 billion people and an annual increase of 14–15 million, is extremely important, alongside the rising middle class and urbanisation,” he said.

The company, which manufactures glass, gypsum boards, and construction chemicals, is allocating more than twice its average capital expenditure relative to sales in India, reflecting the country’s growing strategic importance within the Paris-headquartered firm. Bazin added that India could eventually surpass France as one of Saint-Gobain’s largest contributors to profit over the next decade.

With a presence in India for over four decades, Saint-Gobain aims to triple its business in the country over the next ten years. India is currently its third-largest profit pool globally, after the US and France. The company is expanding across sectors including airports, metros, tunnels, railways, hospitals, and data centres, while positioning itself as a leading supplier of energy-efficient and low-carbon building materials.

The $1 billion investment will fund new factories, research and development, digital capabilities, and acquisitions related to sustainable construction. Over the past five years, Saint-Gobain has already invested $600 million in India.

“We double our size in India every five years, and the goal is to triple our size in the next ten years,” Bazin said, citing rapid urbanisation, population growth, and infrastructure development as key drivers.

Saint-Gobain is also developing its Oragadam facility near Chennai into the company’s largest industrial site globally, integrating multiple product lines within a single campus. Its India business has consistently outpaced the broader construction market, growing more than four percentage points faster than industry averages over the past four years.

Sreedhar N, CEO for Asia-Pacific and India at Saint-Gobain, highlighted the company’s comprehensive offerings as a competitive advantage in India’s fragmented construction market. “We are the only player in India who has got the complete solution you need for any construction,” he said.