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Saint-Gobain Creates Circular Economy Program for Scrap Finished Goods
September 1, 2023
4 Min Read
Saint Gobain
BRYAN, Texas )--Saint-Gobain North America, through its high-performance ceramics business Saint-Gobain NorPro, has begun a recycling program at its Ceramics plant in Bryan, Texas. Through this program, scrap finished goods are recycled and used in production at other plants throughout Saint-Gobain Ceramics, including its facility in Huntsville, Alabama.
This ambitious project comes as Saint-Gobain continues to implement its global Grow and Impact strategy, which includes reducing waste and increasing the circularity of raw materials in its production processes, allowing Saint-Gobain to achieve a net zero carbon footprint by 2050. These efforts are just one way NorPro is contributing to these goals, as the business has reduced its non-recovered waste by 74% in 2022 compared to 2017.
The Bryan plant, established in 1976, specializes in custom ceramic catalyst carriers used in countless industries throughout the world. Historically, scrap finished goods resulting from a technically complex production process were sent to landfills. A pilot recycling program was started in 2019 and quickly expanded to include the recycling of kiln plates at the end of their life. Since the beginning of the pilot program, the Bryan plant has diverted over 1,000 tons of material from landfill to be recycled as raw material in Huntsville and other Ceramics sites. In addition, the site recycles broken and waste kiln bricks and kiln car hardware with a local recycler.
“The recycling efforts at our Bryan plant to divert scrap from landfill is the perfect example of our actions to enable circularity within the Ceramics businesses while minimizing our environmental footprint” said Tihana Tresler, General Manager of Saint-Gobain NorPro. “I want to thank the entire Bryan team for their innovative leadership and their work in helping us meet our purpose ‘To Make the World a Better Home.’”
This project follows several other recent actions taken by the company to solidify its commitment towards sustainability:
Last month, Saint-Gobain announced upgrades at its CertainTeed Insulation plant in Athens, Georgia, which is projected to save over 7,300 MWh of energy and 20 million gallons of water annually, while reducing landfill waste by over 5,000 MT.
Also in July, Saint-Gobain announced the opening of a new CertainTeed Architectural facility in Conyers, Georgia, which will be co-located with finishing partner QPC, allowing the company to drastically reduce the distance products must travel to finalize production, reducing carbon emissions by over 50 million pounds per year.
In June, Saint-Gobain announced that it had been awarded a 2023 SEAL Business Sustainability Award for its work to create the first “net zero-carbon” gypsum wallboard facility for scope 1 and 2 emissions in North America at its plant outside Montreal, Quebec.
In May, CertainTeed Siding announced the completion of a submetering system at its Jackson, Michigan Siding facility, saving more than 9 million gallons of water per year.
In April, CertainTeed Canada surpassed one million tonnes of gypsum recycled and returned to production at its Vancouver plant.
In February, Saint-Gobain, through its building products subsidiary CertainTeed Roofing, acquired the rights to technology from recycling partner Asphaltica that will allow the company to recycle asphalt shingle waste, diverting it from landfill and furthering the company’s commitment to creating a circular economy in its production of roofing shingles.
In December, Saint-Gobain announced the launch of a recycling program at two locations in California, where windshield glass scraps from the company’s Sekurit facility will be recycled and reused in the production of insulation.
With over 150 manufacturing locations in the United States and Canada, every current and future member of the company’s team plays a vital role in achieving its sustainability goals. A current list of job openings at all Saint-Gobain locations, including in Bryan, can be found on the company’s careers website.
ABOUT SAINT-GOBAIN CERAMICS
Saint-Gobain is the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction. Saint-Gobain designs, manufactures, and distributes materials and services for the construction and industrial markets. Within its High-Performance Solutions division, Saint-Gobain Ceramics is a global innovator in the world of technical ceramics and aims at engineering a better, safer and more sustainable world. Among its various range of solutions are unique ceramic catalyst support offerings and bed support media, sold under the NORPRO brand name, for applications in chemical, petrochemical and biofuels markets.
ABOUT SAINT-GOBAIN
Worldwide leader in light 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, light construction and the decarbonization of construction and industry are developed through a continuous innovation process and provide sustainability and performance. The Group’s commitment is guided by its purpose, “MAKING THE WORLD A BETTER HOME”.
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