Gypsum industry news

US: A study by Resource Recycling Systems found that 33% of construction and demolition materials (CDM) entering landfill in Summit County, Colorado, could be effectively diverted into CDM recycling. Gypsum wallboard was among the 11 materials included in the study. Local press has reported that county authorities aim to reuse or recycle 25% of CDM generated locally by 2028, and 50% by 2035. Landfill capacity will run out in 2078.

CDM constituted 30% of Summit County’s landfill intake during the study period.

Japan: Circular economy company TRE Holdings, a joint holding company of Takeei Corporation and River Holdings, raised its sales by 17% year-on-year to US$175m in the first quarter of the 2025 financial year. Its pre-tax profit was US$16.7m, up by 82% year-on-year. Gypsum wallboard recycling subsidiaries Green Arrows and Gypro reported a decline in sales and profit amid ‘sluggish’ order volumes.

For the full 2025 financial year, TRE Holdings expects to record sales of US$673m, up by 7%, and pre-tax profit of US$53.7m, up by 2%, in line with its previous outlook.

Japan: Chiyoda Ute plans to decrease the price of its recycled gypsum wallboard product in June 2024. It follows increased production and equipment improvements. The company launched the recycled product in 2023 and it said that it was the first product of its kind in the world to use 100% waste gypsum board collected from construction sites.

Japan: Chiyoda Ute is taking part in a demonstration project intended to demonstrate the recycling of gypsum wallboard. The so-called ‘horizontal recycling scheme’ includes construction company Mori Building, interior design company Senba and wallboard recycling company Tokuyama Chiyoda Gypsum. Based on the results of the demonstration the companies hope to build a wallboard recycling supply chain.

It is estimated that the volume of wallboard waste in Japan will exceed 2Mt/yr in 2032 and 3Mt/yr in 2047. However, there are concerns that the recycling rate is low and managed final disposal sites are becoming scarce. In addition, supplies of synthetic gypsum from coal-fired power stations are expected to decrease. At present the country imports over 2Mt/yr of gypsum.

Belgium: Etex says that it ‘considerably’ progressed its Road to Sustainability 2030 plan during 2023. That year, safety intensity increased by 7%, and Etex established a global diversity, equity and inclusion ambassador community of 110 volunteers across 26 countries. In Europe, the company achieved 70% Environmental Product Declaration coverage as a percentage of its turnover, up from 58% in 2022. Etex raised its total use of recycled materials to 7.6%, and achieved a 23% reduction in Scopes 1 and 2 CO₂ compared to 2018 levels, in line with its 2030 target of 35%.

CEO Bernard Delvaux said “In the EU, more than 40% of energy consumed is used in buildings and more than 30% of energy-related greenhouse gasses emissions come from buildings. Next to new building activities, and according to current high energy standards, renovating old building stock should hence be a top priority. With our portfolio of building materials such as glass wool and extruded polystyrene insulation, gypsum wallboard, fibre cement boards and fire protection materials, Etex has the solutions to reach the ambitious targets. But in view of the huge challenge, a holistic and effective plan to boost renovation is needed, to finance and simplify the renovation process, in each of the EU countries.”

Belgium: Etex reported sales of €3.81bn in 2023, up by 2.5% from 2022 levels. The company's recurring earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortisation (REBITDA) rose by 10% to €712m. It also raised its capital expenditure for the year, to €371m. Etex says that it was Europe’s leading gypsum recycling performer, with a recycling rate of 8.6% of all gypsum used. The group is ‘actively preparing’ to help rebuild Ukraine as soon as conditions permit.

CEO Bernard Delvaux said “Even more so than 2022, 2023 was a challenging year marked by volatility, uncertainty and severe drops in demand across the world, as we observed the continued impacts of increased energy prices and interest rates. Combined with tougher financing possibilities by banks, all these circumstances meant that both renovation and new construction levels dropped globally. Devaluation of some foreign currencies and hyperinflation accounting also had significant effects on our results. Despite all these challenges, I am extremely proud to share that Etex navigated these difficult waters very well and delivered yet again another record year. This includes our highest ever revenue and REBITDA, among others. This strong performance stems from our anticipation in making strategic decisions and changes at global, regional and local levels, ensuring continued proximity with our customers. This is also a result of even tighter cost monitoring in 2023, without ever losing sight of our long-term ambitions and continuing to improve our strong industrial footprint.”

UAE: The wallboard recycling unit at Saint-Gobain Gyproc’s Abu Dhabi gypsum wallboard plant has processed 22,000t of gypsum since 2014, the L'Usine Nouvelle newspaper has reported. The producer said that the Abu Dhabi plant can incorporate 10 – 12% recycled materials in its gypsum wallboard production. It runs on a diversified energy supply, which in its most recent recorded month included 55% nuclear, 38% natural gas and 7% solar energy.

In 2023, Saint-Gobain reduced its non-recycled waste by 78% year-on-year and its water footprint by 14% from 2017 levels in the UAE.

UK: Knauf UK and Ireland has announced the launch of a new gypsum wallboard recycling service in partnership with waste management company Encore Environment. The partners will trial the service at contractor Manchester Design and Build’s renovation of the Piccadilly Warehouse in Manchester.

Knauf UK and Ireland national client development manager Jon Watts said “The existing Sittingbourne recycling plant and service is fantastic. However, with this partnership we’re able to really tap into on-site recycling and ensure as much goes back into the supply chain as possible. This is critical, as we don’t want plasterboard being transported all over the country. It’s broken down locally and then gets distributed back to plasterboard manufacturers.”

Japan: Chiyoda Ute intends to launch a gypsum board product, Chiyoda Hokkaido Board, which uses 50% recycled gypsum, from December 2023. The product will be manufactured at its Muroran plant in Hokkaido. Subsidiary Tokuyama Chiyoda Gypsum opened a gypsum recycling plant in Muroran in September 2023. Chiyoda Ute owns a 49% share in Tokuyama Chiyoda Gypsum and Tokuyama Corporation owns the remainder.

US: Beneficial Reuse Management (BRM) has acquired Pennsylvania-based gypsum wallboard recycling firm USA Gypsum (USAG).

BRM board chair Dave Schuurman said “The acquisition of USAG gives BRM an opportunity to further diversify our sources of gypsum to include recycled scrap wallboard, as well as to grow our geographic footprint. USAG’s operations will complement our existing gypsum processing operations, which provide gypsum in pelletised form to agricultural and other markets. This acquisition aligns perfectly with our mission of providing sustainable solutions for the management of industrial byproducts to divert materials away from landfills.”