Global Gypsum 2025 review

23rd Global Gypsum Conference, Exhibition & Awards

22 - 23 October 2025, Amsterdam, Netherlands

The 23rd Global Gypsum Conference, Exhibition and Awards has successfully taken place near Amsterdam, with a new record of 470 registered delegates, 80 exhibition stands, 21 presentations, 12 hours of networking and an awards evening at the Heineken Brewery in downtown Amsterdam. The event was hailed by participants for its excellent organisation, technical content, business opportunities and networking. The event will take place on 14-15 October 2026 in Istanbul, Türkiye.

Christoph Dorn, president of Eurogypsum, gave the first keynote presentation, with an overview of lightweight gypsum construction in Europe. He pointed out that building upwards, with lightweight, adaptable, affordable gypsum-based systems is a clear way forward. New energy and indoor air-quality standards will give gypsum products a demand boost. Economic forecasts suggest that European building demand will recover, driven by ever-present housing demand and higher standards. The Green Industrial Deal, the Affordable Housing Construction Strategy and the Circular Economy Act will all boost demand for gypsum, as ell off-site construction, building upwards, conversion of offices into homes and ever-higher air quality demands. Synthetic gypsum production is reducing, due to the phase-out of coal power generation, while it is increasingly difficult to access rock gypsum. Recycling of gypsum will inevitably become a more important source of gypsum in Europe. Hydrogen combustion, electrification and high-efficiency equipment are all steps being taken towards the industry’s goal of full decarbonisation.

Marcelo Pereira of Alier spoke about global sustainability goals and how they impact our plasterboard and plaster industries. He exhorted delegates to collaborate to advance sustainability throughout the sector.

Maarten Hendriks of New West Gypsum Recycling gave a ‘warts and all’ overview of gypsum recycling. He warned that AI will increasingly bend the truth (and cannot discern truth from lies), which will result in highly inaccurate statistics and news. Maarten suggested that although we can now technically produce 100% recycled board, realistically ‘it will not be done.’ In North America, factors are not aligned to promote high levels of recycling, although Canada (home of NWGR) is more advanced. Denmark, Belgium and the UK are relatively advanced in recycling, but the rest of Europe, he said, is lagging behind. He suggested that prices for recycled gypsum will increase as demand rises, while quality will drop as tonnages increase. Waste always flows to the cheapest legal disposal point, including to ’land-spreading.’ Gypsum can also be used for ‘site remediation,’ but Maarten showed photos of such a site in the Czech Republic which was an environmental eyesore. “We all know what we have to do: we just need to do it!” he concluded.

Yassine Touahri of On Field then gave a global overview of the gypsum industry. Interest rates rose sharply after the start of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in 2022, causing construction costs to surge. Housing starts have collapsed in Europe in the last five years. Domestic population growth has also slowed, requiring immigration for a supply of skilled and semi-skilled workers. An economic recovery of 30% is possible in the mid-term in theory, particularly with interest rate cuts and regulatory reform, despite uncertain global geopolitics. Yassine agreed with the first speaker that Europe-wide mandatory renovation will strongly drive product demand. A basket of factors has pushed down wallboard demand in the US, and affordability is at historic lows. Perhaps 4-5 million housing units are demanded by the market but are as yet unbuilt. Uncertainty exists over the future impacts of Mr Trump’s immigration policies on demand and on labour supply. US Secretary of the Treasury Scott Bessent may yet declare a ‘national housing emergency’ in 2025, although the effects of that move are unknown. Future trends in the US are difficult to forecast, but 2026 could be ‘difficult,’ said Yassine. Both US and European board prices have remained robust since the Covid crisis due the disciplined focus on value by major producers. Many global building materials producers are converging to become solutions providers, to benefit from higher pricing power and margins. Saint-Gobain is the only player in plasterboard that has already become a full solution player, but Etex and Knauf are both progressing, each in their own way. However, the systems approach may not be very relevant in the US, where most wallboard sales are through distributors.

A tag-team of Jeff Warren and Mark Flumiani from Gyptech next spoke about disruptive technologies impacting the gypsum industry. Energy efficiency has increased, recycling is now growing worldwide, and board can now be made to be net carbon negative. So, what’s next? Artificial intelligence will eventually impact nearly every area of the industry: knowledge management will become increasingly important as staff turnover increases, recruitment becomes more difficult and older workers retire. AI will also revolutionise the automation and optimisation of coding. Industrial automation overlaps with AI, and includes robotics (and ‘co-bots’), smart sensors and cameras, better inter-equipment communications and data analysis. They introduced an AI infrared void detection system, and also mentioned that many key variables for successfully making board are not yet automated, and that these represent the ‘next frontier.’

Marinus van den Berg of OMV next spoke on the future potential of phosphogypsum (PG). One tonne of phosphoric acid production (a precursor for fertilisers) creates 4.5t of PG. Impurities include P2O5, fluorides, organics and radionuclides, depending on the apatite raw material rock. Global PG production is in the range of 5Bt per year, with utilisation of less than 15%. OMV is a specialist in closed-loop washing and neutralisation, drying, crystal shape modification, controlled calcination and beneficiation of PG. Marinus stated that the radioactivity of the product once mixed into the final cement, plaster or other product will be significantly lower than critical regulatory thresholds. OMV is hoping to export its product to Africa, and around the world.

Dennis Schattauer and Michael Schulin, Grenzebach, presented a new design for stacking systems for gypsum wallboard production lines. The key reasons for its development were to improve safety and efficiency. Key features of the new design include; a focus on continuous walkability along the line; the use of stairs and safety fencing; the elimination of the requirements for pits; elevated conveyor access; a reduced footprint; in-process pneumatic control; a module design with c-rails; and integrated cable management. A version of the new design is currently being tested at a client site.

Michaela Vormoor, Dow, spoke about a study of a new oxidised lignin bio-based plasticiser that her company is developing. The new plasticiser, oxidised lignin (OL), was developed to improve upon the performance of naphthalene sulphonate- (SNF) based plasticisers and to match the sustainability of lignosulphonate (LS) ones. In the study OL-based formulations demonstrated better slump performance than other SNF- or LS-based plasticisers but the setting times were longer. This was then remedied through the introduction of an accelerator, where a volume of up to 0.3% achieved the best effect. Further testing is pending.

Markus Müller, Sika Services, spoke about the use of polycarboxylate ether- (PCE) based dispersants. The wallboard industry faces rising energy costs, pressure to hit sustainability targets, increased competition and demand for lighter and stronger boards. Reducing water demand is a priority, as excess water results in longer drying times and high energy consumption. The ViscoCrete range of PCE-based superplasticisers helps with this, but, like other PCEs, causes a degree of set retardation. The new ViscoCrete-10X series no longer exhibits this phenomenon, allowing for higher concentrations to be used, while keeping board speeds high. Markus said that a €0.015/m2 saving achieved by adding a 15% WR dose to a 10Mm2/yr wallboard plant translates to a €150,000/yr saving.

Judith Hergart and Frantisek Sabo, Johns Manville, spoke about the company’s DuraCore range of fibreglass products for wallboard, which provides fire resistance, increased strength and durability. Products made with DuraCore are lightweight and easy to install. The presenters covered a wide range of test methodologies, including for core cohesion, shrinkage, compressive strength and flexural strength, the results of which backed up their claims. A recently-developed coated glass mat was presented, offering enhanced bending stiffness and a highly-durable bond between facer and core.

Global Gypsum Awards Dinner

At the end of the first day of the conference, over 350 delegates took to a fleet of coaches to travel to the Heineken Experience in the centre of Amsterdam. After being ‘brewed’ and being themselves transformed into bottles of Heineken beer, they enjoyed a walking dinner of traditional Dutch delicacies.

The Global Gypsum Awards are calculated after a world-wide nominations process and an online voting process under which companies are not able to vote for themselves. Global Gypsum Company of the Year was Knauf Gips KG, while Gyptech was named Global Gypsum Supplier of the Year. Grenzebach won the Global Gypsum Innovation of the Year award for its Smart water recovery system. Siniat UK (ETEX) won the Global Gypsum Plant of the Year award for its new board line in Bristol, UK. The Global Gypsum Product of the Year was the EVOLVE family of products - from National Gypsum in the US. Among a crowded field of nominations, the ‘Outstanding contribution to the global gypsum industry’ award went to former president of Eurogypsum Jörg Ertle, of Etex. A number of participants were awarded the Global Gypsum ‘personality of the year’ – a kind of ‘lifetime achievement ‘award: Simon Cooper, Winstone Wallboards; Nevzat Evik, Knauf; Andy Foresman, Georgia-Pacific Gypsum; Sami Helmy, Mada Gypsum Company Limited; Mike Lively, Gyptech; and Volker Seitz, Grenzebach.

Second Day

At the start of the second day Ryan Salata, Owens Corning, spoke about the manufacture of coated glass facers and patterned precursor designs for wallboard. After describing the fibreglass production process, Ryan introduced the Advantex range of fibres. The range was originally designed for wind turbines, so has excellent compressive and flexural strength. The fibres are 10-18μm in diameter and 6-40mm long, impregnated onto various polymer substrates, along with calcium carbonate and additives for colour, viscosity and rheology control, and rolled up on lines up to 3-5m width. Ryan also discussed sustainability, which is helped by the strength of the Advantex range. Extra strength reduces the amount of material needed to make the facer and cuts curing time, reducing energy demands. Thinner material means that more fits on the roll, leading to lower embodied transport emissions.

Mari-Tuuli Korhonen, Ahlstrom, spoke about new multi-layer glass fibre structures as replacements for glass mats. Traditional coated glass mats have densities of 250-460g/m2, with low permeability. The Ahlstrom FibRoc, a 110-120g/m2 facer, reduces the total weight of the board. For a wallboard of 2.5m x 1.2m, this translates to a weight-saving of 1.5kg/board. A top fibre layer prevents gypsum bleed-through, while a lower fibre layer is less dense, absorbing the gypsum, with fantastic adhesion to the core – six times better than reference, according to one customer.

Alexander Kronast, BASF, stated that a major challenge with superplasticisers is that they retard setting, even at relatively low doses. BASF’s answer to this is superplasticisers with very low retardation effect: Melflux Plus and Melflux GYP. Alexander demonstrated a range of benefits of these additives compared to beta-naphthalene sulfonate (BNS), which showed that a 0.055% dose of Melflux GYP was more effective than a 0.3% dose of BNS. A series of slides concerning the interactions of foams with the Melflux range was also presented, with the presenter concluding that the range had ‘decoupled’ water reduction efforts and pore design, leading to increased core strength and excellent flowability.

Matthias Dick, Crush + Size Technology, discussed how its crusher design can improve particle size distribution for gypsum wallboard producers. The company’s crushers use a direct drive with hydraulic gap adjustment, synchronised roller rotation and a bespoke 3D design of the cutting tools. In comparisons with secondary ‘classical’ roller crushers, impact crushers and a cone crusher, the Crush + Size crusher produces a tighter range of particle sizes. Dick attributed the crusher’s 3D design as having the most benefit.

Yuki Mihashi, Sumitomo Osaka Cement, presented an overview of his company’s pilot testing of a carbon capture and utilisation process that uses waste gypsum wallboard to make an artificial limestone from cement plant CO2 emissions. The method uses a CO2 absorption approach with five main process stages: calcium extraction from byproducts (via acid leaching); water treatment; mineralisation; bipolar membrane electrodialysis; and gas absorption. The CO2 is recovered from the cement plant flue gas directly without purification or concentration. The chemical composition and particle size distribution was shown to be similar to ground and precipitated calcium carbonate. The current pilot plant is based in Osaka with a demand for 10kg/hour of gypsum. It can currently manufacture around 5.8kg/hour of calcium carbonate.

Nicole Stone, Spearstone Solutions, detailed her company’s process that reduces radionuclides, and captures CO2, rare earth elements (REE) and metals from phosphogypsum and FGD gypsum. The method uses an extraction step involving a proprietary ionic solution that breaks down the crystal structure to release the REEs, other contaminants and radionuclides. Notably, phosphogypsum contains much higher concentrations of REEs with more variable extraction rates compared to FGD gypsum. A subsequent conversion step produces calcium carbonate, ammonium sulphate and (after decarbonation) quicklime. The process has currently been tested at the laboratory stage. REE extraction is currently treated as a by-product to the main commodity production due to the low volumes but this may change as markets evolve.

Volker Metzger, Watlow, spoke about the decarbonisation of wallboard production using electrical heating systems. Global industrial electrification will need to account for 20% of decarbonisation by 2050 (of a total of 36.9Gt of CO2). In the wallboard sector, most of this will involve the electrification of systems that currently use natural gas. The conversion requires careful consideration of heating requirements (kW), operating temperatures / temperature limits by zone, time available for drying, and the amount of water to be evaporated. We also need to consider air feed temperature, the pressure in the dryer and humidity of the dryer air. Electrical heating is not new, but systems have now become large enough to handle the gypsum sector, with modular solutions from 5MW to 200MW. Modular systems enable easy adjustment and scaling to fit hybrid or full-scale electrification.

Darran Green, RotaLube, spoke about the development of the RotaLube applicator for lubricating chains. Each applicator, which has the same shape as a cog, dispenses lubrication directly to the pin and bush using pressurised air. This is far more accurate than drip-fed systems, which typically add lubricant in excess, often to areas that do not require lubrication. Darran provided a case-study from a wallboard dryer that previously used a drip-fed system that consumed 19 barrels of lubricant per year. After the installation of the RotoLube, consumption fell to just five barrels per year. The cost saving on lubrication alone was calculated at €56,350/yr, with a return on investment of around 12 months. The CO2 emissions avoided through the reduction in lubrication use was 11t/yr. In addition, there have been far fewer chain failures. This is because consistent lubrication means consistent wear and lower elongation. The average chain lifespan is typically doubled, further saving on material waste and CO2 emissions from the production of new steel.

Jon Monterola and Ana Salgado, Biele Group, presented on the topic of acoustic gypsum boards as an ‘added value’ application. After introducing their company, which makes equipment to convert conventional wallboard into tailored acoustic products, a series of dynamic videos explained the upgrade of standard wallboard through Biele equipment, including the punching and pressing of holes, edge/profile finishing and the lamination of acoustic coatings. Biele’s innovative ‘Smart Die’ design, uses ‘Volcano Effect Control’ to minimise material deformation around perforations, improving quality and board integrity. The system cuts the lower paper / facer surface from below before the same shape punches through the entire board from above. It is possible to quickly change between different dies, to create different perforation patterns.

Gavin Fan, Anderson Thermal Solutions, presented an energy efficiency study of a heat pump heating system for gypsum wallboard dryers. After identifying that zone three of a conventional dryer was the best place to introduce a heat pump, he compared a hybrid system to a 100% system. The system uses R1233zd(E), a hydrofluoro-olefin, as its circulating working medium. Notably, the 100% version still uses gas to start up the system. The hybrid system is estimated to reduce energy costs by 35% and the full system by 63%. However, this is dependent on the comparative prices of gas and electricity.

Christian Pritzel, University of Siegen, talked about how additives influence the hydration of calcium sulphate hemihydrate and resulting technical properties. He started by going through the stages of gypsum hydration and linked this to the formation of the crystals. Additives can potentially interact at each stage of this process, changing the resulting morphology. Pritzel covered the effects of using aggregates, fibres, gypsum seeds, sulphates, potassium and fruit acids. In summary: the more branches on a gypsum crystal leads to more final strength in the product, more porosity and less casting accuracy.

Nikzad Oraee, of Khorasan Gypsum, Iran, gave the last presentation at the conference with a call to action for the gypsum industry in his country. He outlined the large potential of the local sector with reserves of 1.5Bnt and over 400 factories. However, this mainly serves the plaster market and there are few wallboard plants. International economic sanctions and local mismanagement have further exacerbated the situation. As Oraee described it, “While the world is drylining, we’re still wet-mixing.” He called for the market in Iran to consolidate, innovate and to invest to reach its full potential.

Prizes and farewells

Following the end of the conference programme, delegates gathered for a final time in the basement sports bar of the hotel, for the event’s prize-giving. Participants had voted for their favourite presentations, with voting normalised to the number present in each presentation, for fairness. In fourth place were Jeff Warren and Mark Flumiani of Gyptech for their paper on AI in the gypsum industry; in third place was Nikzad Oraee for his paper on the gypsum industry of Iran, while in second place were Dennis Schattauer and Michael Schulin of Grenzebach for their paper on a new stacking line concept. However, in first place were the duo of Jon Materola and Ana Selgado of Spanish company Biele, for their presentation on adding value to gypsum board through perforation using high accuracy equipment to provide high acoustic performance.

Delegates were delighted with the event, and promised to meet again, at the 24th Global Gypsum Conference, Exhibition and Awards, 14-15 October 2026, in Istanbul, Türkiye.

What the delegates said about Global Gypsum Conference 2025:

• As usual, very efficiently organised
• Very well organised
• Very good chance to networking, efficient to meet friends
• The conference is of great value for industry leaders in gypsum. The conference allows an environment where great minds can re-imagine the future of our industry and share ideas.
• Just keep going!
• Excellent organisation
• A lot of nice and efficient talks
• Great to see old friends, make new ones and maintain relationships!
• Best place to network within the gypsum industry.
• Great place to network
• I think it’s a great way to network, I really appreciate the time and effort put into this!
• Conference was great!
• Very well organised, motivating delegates for networking
• Good cheese!
• Very nice organisation, very nice place!
• This was my first conference and I’m excited to participate in 30 more!
• Such a perfect organisation makes you feel perfectly hosted.
• A great venue with key suppliers and manufacturers offering an excellent working environment. Well done and well prepared. The Key gypsum event of the year!
• Many people from all over the world.
• Very well done, from registration process through to the end of the closing session. The Global Gypsum support staff is professional and goes above and beyond to accommodate and adjust to ensure a smooth and successful conference at every step.
• It is always nice to come together and meet people you know and also get to know new people. All share the same interest.
• Thank you once again for splendid organisation of a conference that feels like family.
• Event is like a family meeting
• This is my favourite conference about gypsum based materials!
• Thanks to the whole team - you did a great job again!!
• Very well organised, great speakers, and a great opportunity to connect with other professionals in the gypsum industry.
• Very nice location and staff
• The Conference was perfect
• Very instructive and fruitful moment. Very high quality connections
• Thank you. 1st time at this event, and impressed by the quality of the organisation and the expertise of the speakers.
• Thanks for everything.
• Great place to meet people of the industry
• A really good environment and well hosted.
• Great to see many people.
• This conference is a perfect venue where suppliers to and manufacturers of gypsum board meet. There is a good environment to select lectures of interest and meet your customers.
• A fantastic gathering of minds — it was great reconnecting with old colleagues and discovering the latest innovations shaping our industry. Always worth attending!
• It was an excellent event to get updated and build your network
• Another great conference, excellent opportunity to meet many customers.

Below: Ladies of Global Gypsum 2025