Saint-Gobain buys into shingle recycling

Saint-Gobain North America, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Roofing, has acquired the rights to technology from recycling partner Asphaltica that will allow the company to recycle asphalt shingle waste.

The proprietary technology from Asphaltica will allow Saint-Gobain to pelletize both post-industrial and post-consumer shingle waste. This process creates pellets out of ground shingles that blend well in hot mix asphalt. In addition, the pellets are highly water resistant and can be used in variable climate conditions.

This technology will help the company contribute to the Asphalt Roofing Manufacturing Association’s (ARMA) goals to reduce landfill disposal of asphalt-based roofing materials to 50% by 2035 and to approach 0% by 2050.

The initiative comes as Saint-Gobain continues to reduce waste and increase the circularity of raw materials in its production processes, aiming for a net zero carbon footprint by 2050.

“By taking an innovative approach and embracing new technologies, Saint-Gobain and CertainTeed Roofing are making strides to maximize our positive impact while minimizing our environmental footprint,” said Carmen Bodden, vice-president of CertainTeed Roofing.

“CertainTeed takes our sustainability commitments seriously. The Asphaltica technology is proven and will help us achieve our goal of keeping shingle manufacturing waste across our network out of landfills.”

Asphaltica principals Bill Dempsey, PE and Bill Bailey, PhD, experts in paving and bitumen with over 40 years of experience, will continue to support landfill diversion efforts with CertainTeed.

“Replacing virgin asphalt in asphalt paving with properly treated recycled asphalt products is both economical and sustainable,” Dempsey said.

“By using the pelletizing process of asphalt shingles at the end of life, our companies will provide recycled, environmentally friendly, paving grade materials for paving projects large and small.”

The launch of this partnership follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability, including the announcement of a circular economy program in California, where Saint-Gobain Sekurit’s automotive glass facility in Garden Gove is recycling waste automotive windshield glass and sending it to CertainTeed Insulation’s facility in Chowchilla to be used in the production of fiberglass insulation.

CertainTeed, headquartered in Malvern, Pennsylvania, was founded in 1904 as General Roofing Manufacturing Company. Today it sells exterior and interior building products, including roofing, siding, solar, fence, railing, trim, insulation, drywall and ceilings.