Gypsum industry news

Europe/US: Tristan Suffys, secretary general of Eurogypsum, the European gypsum association, presented the association’s net zero roadmap at the Global Gypsum Conference 2023 in Chicago, US, on 9 November 2023. Live and online audiences heard Eurogypsum’s full life cycle-based carbon footprint analysis, according to which European gypsum wallboard currently generates CO₂ emissions of 2kg/m², 14% lower than 2008 levels. On its pathway to net zero by a deadline of 2050, Eurogypsum plans to reduce wallboard’s CO₂ emissions from raw materials by 13%, from transport by 12%, from production by 69% and from end-of-life processes by 6%.

Suffys said “Presenting our roadmap today in Chicago is a clear signal that global warming requires global action. We want to engage with other regional actors along the way to climate neutrality.”

Eurogypsum president Jörg Ertle added “We are committed to making this transition a reality. First examples show that we can move towards net-zero emission production if we have access to low-carbon energy at affordable costs and optimal raw material supply, but this will require significant investment from our sector.”

Belgium: Eurogypsum, the European federation of national associations of producers of gypsum products, has welcomed proposed changes to the European Union’s (EU) Construction Products Regulation (CPR). It said that it welcomed “…the proposal presented by the European Commission (EC) on 30 March 2022 as an ambitious basis to strengthen and modernise the existing rules, as well as to speed up the uptake of sustainable and circular practices in the construction product manufacturing industry.”

In preliminary feedback comments the association said that it supports a European Committee for Standardisation (CEN) driven system as opposed to increased regulatory powers for construction material manufacturing that the new proposals might create. For the assessment of the environmental performance of products the association wants more clarity about any potential new digital approach. It reiterated that it supports the continued use of Life-Cycle Assessments (LCA) and Environmental Product Decelerations (EPD). It also called for product labelling to be provided in an electronic format with easy-to-understand pictograms as the norm. However it suggested that any consumer should be able to request a paper version if required.

The CPR regulations were originally introduced in 2011 and are recognisable to consumers through the use of the CE (Communauté Européenne) markings on certain products. The EC has since decided to revise the regulations to fit with newer policy priorities including the European Green Deal.

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.

UK: Saint-Gobain's British Gypsum is making it easier for specifiers and architects to identify environmental performance with the launch of seven new Environmental Product Declarations (EPD) that cover nine products.

As part of its aim to give environmental transparency and make it easier for specifiers to gather evidence for building certification schemes, such as BREEAM, LEED and SKA, British Gypsum has introduced additional EPD to its Thistle plaster range. These include declarations for Thistle BoardFinish, MultiFinish, BondingCoat, Browning, Universal OneCoat, DuraFinish, SprayFinish, ToughCoat and HardWall.

The EPDs were externally verified for the Thistle plaster products following a robust Life Cycle Assessment (LCA), which calculated the environmental impact of each product throughout its lifecycle. The LCA considers a range of factors, including the effect of raw materials, manufacturing process, installation, performance in use and recycling capabilities.

"As our EPDs are based on clearly-defined EU-wide rules and regulations, our customers can be confident in the knowledge that they are receiving reliable indicators, allowing them to make an informed decision when planning or delivering a project," said Heidi Barnard, sustainability leader at British Gypsum. "We're currently the only UK plaster manufacturer to offer EPDs, but we recognise the importance of giving our customers greater transparency, especially in our industry, where sustainable practices are becoming more rigorous on an almost daily basis."