Gypsum industry news

Paraguay: WEIG Group subsidiary Yaguarete Papeles has purchased a new paper production unit. The equipment will produce wallboard liner and testliner using recycled fibre. It was previously installed at a production site in Germany. Dismantling is underway, with delivery to the plant in Paraguay scheduled for mid-2026.

Weig Technical Liner Managing Director Bernd Stibi said "We are taking an important step to strengthen our presence in Latin America. The investment allows us to reliably supply our customers with high-quality plasterboard liner, while at the same time supporting sustainable growth in the region."

US: ReCB plans to resume production of its Everboard recycled carton-based alternative wallboard. The company acquired a second production site in Des Moines, Iowa, and the Everboard trademark after previous owner Waste Materials closed down production in November 2024. ReCB’s existing plant is situated in Lodi, California

Local press has reported that ReCB now commands 1.11Mm²/yr of Everboard production capacity, which will involve the recycling of 12,000t/yr of cartons as raw materials. It plans to employ a total of 16 people for round-the-clock production. The company will subsequently expand it footprint to a combined capacity 9.29Mm²/yr across six locations.

US: The Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection has launched the Waste Reduction Innovation Grant (WRIG) initiative. The initiative will provide funding between US$50,000 and US$100,000 for up to 10 recycling projects and between US$500,000 and US$2m for up to four further projects. Gypsum wallboard is among the recyclables eligible for funding, along with other building materials like bitumen felt shingles and wood.

Construction & Demolition Recycling News has reported that the WRIG initiative supports Massachusetts’ Solid Waste Master Plan to reduce landfill by 30% by 2030 and by 90% by 2050.

Spain: Wallboard liner manufacturer Alier has won €9.6m in European Regional Development Fund funding for an upcoming recycled paper plant in the Lopez Soriano Recycling Technology Park in Zaragoza. Spanish Collection News has reported that the plant forms part of the Gypsum Board 5.0 circular wallboard project. Alier expects to invest €40m in the project altogether.

France: Siniat has announced the forthcoming launch of its RECYPLAC 100% recycled gypsum wallboard in July 2025. Siniat developed the product at a pilot line at its Carpentras plant in Vaucluse and will now start to produce it at its Ottmarsheim plant in Haut-Rhin.

Siniat’s parent company Etex says that it is the European leader in the use of recycled gypsum, with some gypsum wallboard plants already producing over 35% recycled wallboard. Group recycled gypsum use rose by 34% between 2018 and 2024.

UK: Etex subsidiary Siniat has inaugurated a new line at its Bristol gypsum wallboard plant in the West of England. The plant will produce 98% of Siniat’s portfolio of wallboard products for the UK and Ireland markets. It will incorporate 45% recycled content in its products, with zero waste to landfill. The company said the upgrade to the plant cost €200m.

Belgium-based Etex says that the inauguration marks its single largest production investment in its history.

Italy: Eco Avant-Garde has launched a new product from its Eco Gypsum 64 gypsum wallboard recycling system. The system can now produce pulverised paper pellets as fuel for dryers at gypsum wallboard plants. Eco Avant-Garde highlighted the evident circular economic potential of the advance in a post to LinkedIn.

Japan: Sumitomo Osaka Cement has applied for a patent for a method of combining alkali metal hydroxide solutions with CO₂ to produce alkali metal salts that react with gypsum to produce calcium carbonate. Energy Weekly News has reported that the developers used gypsum from recycled gypsum wallboard to demonstrate the process.

Spain: Paper products specialist Alier has begun construction of a new €40m gypsum wallboard recycling plant in Zaragoza’s López Soriano Recycling Technology Park. The plant will recycle gypsum wallboards powered by a solar plant and biomass plant, generating net zero CO₂ emissions. The Heraldo de Aragón newspaper has reported that the plant will create 130 direct jobs and an estimated 390 indirect jobs.

UK: France-based Saint-Gobain subsidiary British Gypsum has launched the Gyproc SoundBloc Infinaé 100 gypsum wallboard in the UK. The board is the group’s first to feature 100% recycled gypsum. The producer said that construction firms supply used plasterboard from jobsites as raw materials, by means of British Gypsum’s collection service. The service also covers used adhesives and fillers.