National Gypsum - Construction Design News

Does Recycled Content Mean It’s Green?
By Mundise Mortimer, LEED AP

The U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) LEED Projects Directory lists over 11,000 certified projects and over 32,000 registered projects. LEED has driven demand for green building products including high recycled content. Yet, we all know that it takes more than recycled content to be a green product.

High recycled content gypsum board uses byproduct gypsum derived from cleaning the emissions of coal-fired power plants. It is also known as synthetic gypsum or FGD, short for Flue Gas Desulphurization.

LEED projects typically emphasize using high recycled content materials. Some specs even require high recycled content gypsum. This would seem like the right thing to do, but there are points to consider before adding this to your specs.

Where is the recycled content located?
Depending on the project location, gypsum board may or may not be able to contribute to this credit. The map below shows all of the high recycled content plants in the United States. There is virtually no production of recycled content west of the Mississippi River.

Click to enlarge

Can a project get LEED certified without high recycled content gypsum?
The LEED certification process is essentially a scorecard. Unlike a football game that awards points every time the ball goes into the end zone, LEED limits the points in each of the categories. This is the equivalent of limiting a football score to one field goal per game. LEED allows a maximum of three points for recycled content. Gypsum can contribute anywhere from less than 1 percent to more than 10 percent of this credit, depending on the type of project. It is unlikely that gypsum would be the only material factored into this credit.

Higher recycled content may be pursued for reasons other than LEED. Let’s review potential tradeoffs associated with this requirement. Competitive bidding may be limited due to availability. Higher freight costs may result from shipping greater distances. Local jobs may be affected by shipping from outside the area. Some specialty products may not be available with high recycled content because most plants do not produce the manufacturer’s full product line. Do these potential outcomes offset the benefit of recycled content? That’s a decision best made by the project team, but it should be part of the decision to require high recycled content gypsum.

What about regions that have no recycled gypsum nearby?
California has over 1,200 LEED certified projects and there is no recycled gypsum available within 1,000 miles of the state. I mention this to point out that LEED certification is attainable without high recycled content gypsum.

Gypsum board is a readily available, cost-effective solution for walls and ceilings and provides inherent fire resistance. National Gypsum products are GREENGUARD Children & Schools^SM Certified for Indoor Air Quality. Other properties that contribute to a high-performance building include resistance to mold, abuse and impact resistance and enhanced acoustical performance. Our e²XP® line of fiberglass-faced gypsum products offers an extended exposure warranty in addition to mold resistance. And of course, we have used 100 percent recycled paper for the past 50 years. Due to the plant network, the gypsum core can often contribute to Regional Materials because it is extracted and manufactured within 500 miles of the project.

National Gypsum is a big proponent of recycled content. Our plants in Apollo Beach, Fla.; Mt. Holly, N.C.; Shippingport, Pa.; and Westwego, La., use byproduct gypsum. Some other plants use significant blends of natural and byproduct gypsum, which can be as high as a 40 percent synthetic blend. We have a program in the Northeast to recycle gypsum scraps from new construction back into the manufacturing process. We also believe products made at our natural rock plants offer excellent performance benefits for LEED projects in those local markets.


	Mundise Mortimer, LEED AP Manager, Technical Marketing 704.365.7494 Office Email Technical Info: 1-800-National

Consider the "big picture" in order to attain LEED credits.
Locally available, high recycled content is an inexpensive way to contribute to the Recycled Materials credit. If material is not readily available, there may be hidden costs incurred or other unintended consequences. We encourage you to look at the bigger picture when specifying recycled content for gypsum.

If you have questions about
the availability of recycled content for your project, Green Product Score (GPS) provides a project specific report.

We share this with you to help you make the best decisions for your project and hope you will continue to think of National Gypsum as a sustainable resource for all of your projects.