Owens Corning CEO Brian Chambers Earns a Responsible CEO of the Year Award

On Monday 3BL Media announced its list of Responsible CEOs. The awards recognize corporate executives who embody bold, innovative leadership in delivering on environmental, social, and governance commitments.

Winners are chosen by a judging panel composed of past award recipients. 2021 marks the 13th edition of the Responsible CEO of the Year Awards.

Owens Corning is proud to honor its CEO, Brian Chambers, for earning the 2021 Responsible CEO of the Year: ESG Transparency award.

Chambers became chief executive officer of Owens Corning in April 2019 and was named chair in April 2020. Previously, he had served as president and chief operating officer since August 2018, president of the Roofing business beginning in 2014, vice president and general manager for Roofing beginning in 2013, and vice president and managing director of Engineered Solutions in the Composites business. He spent almost four years prior as president of Saint-Gobain’s Distribution Business in North America. Before joining Owens Corning in 2000, Chambers worked with Honeywell, BOC Gases and an international engineering firm.

Leading the way

Since becoming CEO, Chambers has continued his commitment to sustainability and has driven progress across the company’s sustainability pillars:

• Expand the product handprint. Increase the positive impacts OC products have on the world.
• Reduce the environmental footprint. Limit the negative impact OC operations have on the environment.
• Increase the social handprint. Ensure that people are safe and live with health, happiness, and human dignity.

Specific examples of Chambers' leadership in these areas included:

• The company’s 2030 sustainability goals call for reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 50%, in line with guidance to hold global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, and sourcing 100% renewable electricity to reduce product embodied carbon.
• Chambers signed the CEO Diversity Pledge, an initiative of the CEO Action Committee, joining other CEOs publicly pledging to promote diversity and inclusion in the workplace.
• Funding increased for the Owens Corning Foundation, which supports OC’s stakeholder communities through strategic partnerships. In 2020, the Owens Corning Foundation donated nearly $2 million to support COVID-19 pandemic relief at local hospitals, food banks, and other critical needs in more than 70 Owens Corning communities around the globe.
• The company issued its first green bond in August 2019. It was the first U.S. industrial company to issue a green bond. Owens Corning committed to spend $445 million on eligible sustainability projects.
• The company formed a team dedicated to a circular economy model.
• The company expanded its inclusion and diversity goals with quantifiable targets. Chambers created the position of vice president of inclusion and diversity and established an I&D Council.
• The Owens Corning Foundation made commitments totaling $6 million to advance racial equity and social justice in Toledo, home of the OC corporate office. Funds are focused on safe housing and shelter, inclusive and sustainable communities, education, and workforce development.

Chambers shares the honor

Chambers frequently notes that the company’s approach to sustainability aligns with its purpose – “our people and products make the world a better place.”

In an interview with 3BL Media’s TriplePundit news site, Chambers said, “It’s a great honor to receive this award. For me, it’s also a great honor for my 19,000 colleagues across the world that get up every day working hard to solve challenges for us, to create a more sustainable environment for our company, to impact our customers and help them in their sustainability journeys, to impact the lives of our people at work and those who live in our communities around the world. It’s a great honor and a great recognition of the collaborative work of Owens Corning.”

He said the company has built a culture of accountability – setting high goals for itself and holding each other accountable for achieving them. “Sometimes we don’t know how to get there, but we’re resolute that we need to get there and we’re going to find ways to do that.”

He added that the world looks to companies to solve ESG challenges. “As a leader in our markets, we need to find a way to solve these problems.”