Gypsum industry news

US: The Gypsum Association (GA), which represents the North American manufacturers of gypsum wallboard, has released an industry-wide environmental product declaration (EPD) for glass mat gypsum panels. The EPD provides environmental performance information addressing energy consumption, water consumption, global warming, waste, air emissions and other metrics related to production.

"The development and release of this ISO 14025 conformance, Type III, cradle-to-shipping gate EPD, demonstrates that our member companies are committed to transparency as a means of improving the environment and increasing the sustainability of building products," said Stephen Meima, LEED Green Associate, executive director of the Gypsum Association.

The international standards organisation, ASTM, served as program operator for the EPD. The GA commissioned the Athena Sustainable Materials Institute (ASMI) to perform the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) that informs the EPD and to produce the EPD Project Report.

Glass mat gypsum panels are specialised performance products consisting of a no-combustible moisture resistant core encased in fibreglass facers on front and back surfaces and long edges. Also known as 'exterior gypsum sheathing,' this product provides extended weather protection, mould and moisture resistance, and fire resistance when specified as a component of a building's exterior envelope. Glass mat gypsum panels are compatible with a wide variety of exterior claddings including wood, masonry, metal, vinyl and stucco. Glass mat panels are increasingly used in the rapidly expanding multifamily residential sector.

Canada: CertainTeed Gypsum Canada has defended its decision to complain about the dumping of gypsum wallboard from the US in terms of Canadian law and jobs. Following the complaint the Canada Border Services Agency imposed preliminary tariffs on US wallboard, which has led to rises in the prices of wallboard. Groups, including certain Canadian customers and Western Canadian Associations, have called for a boycott on CertainTeed products in response to the situation.

"We filed an Anti-Dumping Complaint because drywall manufacturers based in the US were exporting large and growing volumes of products into Western Canada in the last few years at prices materially lower than those at which they are sold in the US," said the wallboard producer in statement. It added that this kind of dumping creates material injury to domestic manufacturers in the form of share loss and price and margin suppression and that this is considered an unfair trade practice sanctioned through an offsetting duty or tariff under Canadian law.

CertainTeed Gypsum Canada went on to say that as a response to US 'dumping' it had to cut jobs in Western Canada and reduce investment in its plants, mines and business. It then reiterated that since the financial crisis in 2008 it had kept all of its Western Canadian plants and operations open, while US companies had closed theirs.

The producer has wallboard plants in Vancouver, Calgary and Winnipeg and mines in Windermere, British Colombia and Amaranth, Manitoba that supply those plants. It employs over 1000 workers in the country.

Canada: Wallboard prices have risen in western Canada following the implementation of antidumping tariffs of up to 277% on gypsum wallboard from the US. Builders and suppliers fear the ruling could disrupt the supply of the product for construction projects, including the rebuilding campaign in Fort McMurray in Alberta, according to the Canadian Press news agency.

The Canada Border Services Agency imposed preliminary tariffs on 6 September 2016 on US wallboard into Canada for use in British Colombia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, the Yukon and Northwest Territories. The provisional duty ranges from 125% on imports from CertainTeed Gypsum and Ceiling, 105% on Georgia-Pacific Gypsum, 144% on USG and 277% on all other importers.