Saint-Gobain receives the 2022 Better Project Award from US Department of Energy

Saint-Gobain, a building materials manufacturer with North American headquarters in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) for its recent efforts in gypsum recycling. Through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed LLC, the company received the 2022 Better Project Award for the company’s recycling program at its gypsum wallboard plant in Silver Grove, Kentucky.

Saint-Gobain says CertainTeed’s facility in Silver Grove is the largest gypsum wallboard plant in North America and one of the largest in the world. The recycling project announced in December will allow the facility to recycle and reuse 15,000 tons of paper per year that otherwise would have been sent to a landfill. The recycling technology works by grinding down waste gypsum and wastepaper into fine particles, which are then sorted and reintroduced to the production process at the plant.

The project was announced months after Saint-Gobain rolled out its new global Grow and Impact strategy, which includes reducing waste and increasing the circularity of raw materials at its manufacturing sites. CertainTeed invested $850,000 into the recycling equipment.

“Our recycling technology in Silver Grove allows us to reduce our waste, reduce our consumption of natural resources and also reduce our production costs, all while continuing to produce the best gypsum wallboard product on the market,” says Dennis Wilson, vice president of environmental, social, governance North America and managing director of Saint-Gobain Circular Economy Solutions. “...We will continue to look for ways to minimize our environmental footprint while striving to maximize our company’s positive impact for our customers and the communities where we operate.”

CertainTeed is looking to deploy similar technology at its additional gypsum wallboard manufacturing sites in North America.

The DOE's Better Projects awards recognize manufacturers who improve energy efficiency and competitiveness in the industrial sector. To be considered for an award, projects must deliver significant waste or energy savings and is discreet, innovative and replicable in similar industrial facilities.