Saint-Gobain, through building products subsidiary CertainTeed LLC, will install recycling technology at its gypsum plant in Palatka, Florida, increasing the recycled content of its wall products manufactured in Palatka by 18,000 tons/ year, also reducing the country’s carbon dioxide emissions. 2260 tons/year.
The project represents a $1.1 million investment by CertainTeed and comes as Saint-Gobain continues to roll out its new global Growth and Impact strategy, which includes reducing waste and increasing recycling efforts at its manufacturing sites.
Drywall is made from a gypsum slurry that is poured and dried between two sheets of paper. Some scrap materials, consisting of plaster and paper, are normally generated whenever a production line is opened or closed, or when production equipment is changed to produce different sized wall tiles.
The new recycling technology at Palatka will work by grinding plaster and paper waste into fine particles, allowing the factory to capture and internally recycle the materials, which are sorted and then fed back into the factory’s production process.
Today, every wall produced at CertainTeed’s Palatka facility includes recycled content. The improved technology, which the company plans to bring online later this year, will increase the amount of recycled material in the wall signs produced in Palatka.
The new equipment is powered by electricity and replaces older equipment currently powered by diesel, reducing Plant 1’s radiation from its operation. Additionally, by consuming more recycled gypsum, the plant is less dependent on raw materials being shipped to Palatka from outside sources, allowing the site to also reduce scope 3 emissions associated with raw material transportation .
The investment in Palatka follows similar investments that will increase the recycled content of wall made at CertainTeed’s gypsum plants in Silver Grove, Kentucky and Nashville, Arkansas.
“At Palatka and all of our manufacturing sites in North America, our team will continue to aggressively pursue opportunities to maximize the positive impact of our company, our customers and the communities in which we operate while minimizing our environmental footprint. ,” said Jay Bachmann. Vice President and General Manager of CertainTeed’s Indoor Products Group. “The new technology at Palatka will allow us to increase the recycled content in our products, reduce our factory carbon dioxide emissions and strengthen our operations at a time of unprecedented consumer demand for drywall in the United States. Southeast United.”
CertainTeed’s Palatka plant began operations in 2001 and spans more than 100 acres of land in Putnam County. Today the plant has 150 employees and is one of the largest employers in Palatka, and also one of the largest gypsum plants in the southeastern United States. The factory is currently hiring for several roles in engineering and manufacturing. A complete list of jobs at all Saint-Gobain locations, including the CertainTeed site in Palatka, can be found on the company’s website.
The investment in recycling technology at Palatka follows several other recent actions taken by the company to strengthen its commitment to sustainability:
- In July, Saint-Gobain announced major equipment upgrades at its gypsum plant in Buchanan, New York, saving about 700,000 kWh of electricity annually and also reducing the plant’s greenhouse gas emissions.
- In June, Saint-Gobain announced a CAD$91 million investment in its Montreal gypsum plant, creating the first zero-carbon production site for wall tiles in North America and increasing the plant’s production capacity by 40 %.
- In May, Saint-Gobain announced the recycling technology newly installed at its gypsum wall plant in Nashville, Arkansas would save 65,000 tons of material annually from the landfill.
- In April, Saint-Gobain entered into a recycling partnership at its SageGlass electrochromic glass manufacturing site in Fairbault, Minnesota, saving 1,000 tons of material annually from landfill over the next five years.
- In March, Saint-Gobain North America announced that it would install heat recovery technology at its CertainTeed gypsum production site in Vancouver, British Columbia, which will reduce the plant’s carbon dioxide emissions by 10% and will improve its energy efficiency.
- Also in March, Saint-Gobain announced that through its Virtual Power Purchase Agreement with the Blooming Grove Wind Farm in McLean County, Illinois and additional renewable contracts, the company received renewable energy certificates that effectively reduced approximately 33% of CO2 emissions from electricity. use in 2021 in the United States and Canada.
- In February, the company invested $32 million to upgrade equipment at its insulation plant in Chowchilla, California, reducing the facility’s carbon footprint by more than 4,000 metric tons annually.
- In January, Saint-Gobain North America donated to Habitat for Humanity a ready-made zero-energy home in Canton, Ohio, made of more than 20 of its own products.
About CertainTeed
Through the responsible development of innovative and sustainable building products, CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, has helped shape the building products industry for more than 115 years. Founded in 1904 as the General Roofing Manufacturing Company, the firm’s slogan, “Quality Made Sure, Satisfaction Guaranteed,” inspired the name CertainTeed. Today, CertainTeed is a leading North American brand of exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, solar, fencing, railings, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings. www.certainteed.com.
About Saint-Gobain
A worldwide leader in lightweight and sustainable construction, Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Its integrated solutions for the renovation of public and private buildings, lightweight construction and the decarbonisation of construction and industry are developed through a continuous process of innovation and offer sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “TO MAKE THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.
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