SUSTAINABILITY

Gypsum is already recognised as an endlessly recyclable, abundantly available mineral, and we’re working hard with the industry to further improve its sustainability credentials.

Extracting and Processing Natural Gypsum

In the UK and Ireland, all extraction of natural gypsum is from underground mines, which has significantly reduced environmental impact over open-cast mining:

Less surface disruption to landscapes and ecosystems
Lower dust and noise pollution
Reduced water run-off and contamination risks
Minimal land rehabilitation needed post-extraction

Efficient Manufacturing

The processes for manufacturing everyday gypsum products are designed to reduce carbon emissions by:

Using by-products and recycled materials
Working with lower energy intensity
Using minimal packaging

Rethinking

product design

Gypsum-based products are designed to support responsible and efficient design, application and use, playing an important role in the reduction of carbon emissions in the build environment by:

Promoting indoor air quality
Being sound insulation efficient
Having high impact and fire resistance
Being energy-efficient in use
Being recyclable at the end of their life

The industry achieved its target of 10% carbon reduction by 2020 and is on track for a 20% reduction by 2025 - figures are available here.

Post-Consumer Recycling

Gypsum is an eternally recyclable material, and the industry works with the construction supply chain to support initiatives that drive towards a more sustainable material life cycle.

GPA members have invested both directly and through third parties to provide routes for segregated, clean plasterboard waste to be delivered to reprocessing stations

Access to natural resources is enhanced by developing outstanding construction and demolition waste management to divert construction and demolition waste from landfill

The post-consumer recycled content of new plasterboard has increased steadily over the last decade, reaching 11.5% in 2023 – figures are available here.

Waste Prevention:

Design for Construction

Preventing waste is a key method of improving the sustainability of construction in all areas. We support this by:

Encouraging positive dialogue with construction site managers to promote the proper storage, handling, sequencing, fixing and finishing of gypsum products and systems

Recommending demountable and reusable partitions for commercial buildings

Promoting, whenever feasible, bespoke size boards (plasterboards, fibreboards and blocks)

Waste Disposal Reduction Measures: Design for Deconstruction

Early consideration and planning for the deconstruction of a building at the end of its useful life can significantly improve the recyclability of its waste materials. We support this by:

Promoting research and development in the design of gypsum products and systems which ensure that recycling is maximised

Advocating for selective deconstruction and the sorting of waste within the construction and demolition industries

Promoting research and development for ensuring the proper recycling of gypsum demolition waste

Maximising the internal recycled material input capacity of gypsum manufacturing plants

Sourcing and Processing FGD Gypsum

Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) is a process used by power plants and industrial facilities to remove sulphur dioxide from exhaust gases before they are released into the atmosphere, reducing air pollution and acid rain. FGD gypsum is a byproduct of this process, and is chemically identical to natural gypsum, forming according to the same laws but in a process that only takes a few hours.

FGD gypsum has a higher purity than most natural gypsum (96% vs 80%). This means that lower quality gypsum can be blended with high purity FGD gypsum, allowing material that would not have been mined in the past to be classified as exploitable reserves.

Although FGD gypsum has supported the raw material supply chain in the past, with power stations closures and the move to more renewable energy sources, the sources of FGD gypsum are reducing. It is now even more important that gypsum material circularity is accelerated with waste from construction and demolition sites being recycled into new gypsum products.

Origins of

Recycled Content

According to the internationally accepted definition in ISO14021, recycled content in plasterboard can derive from three sources:

Secondary fibre in the plasterboard liner, accounting for up to 5% by weight

Post-consumer gypsum recovered from construction or demolition site waste, typically accounting for 5-15% (and subject to a technical limit of around 25%)

By-product gypsum from Flue Gas Desulphurisation (FGD) or other industrial processes

Plasterboard Road Map

The GPA and its partners in the Plasterboard Sustainability Partnership (PSP) developed the Plasterboard Sustainability Action Plan to enable plasterboard to maintain its prominent position as a construction material through further positive steps to reduce environmental impacts throughout the product life cycle.

GPA Statement on Plasterboard Recycled Content

Plasterboard can be a sustainable choice, as new plasterboard may contain a high proportion of recycled content. Nearly all plasterboard is entirely recyclable at the end of its use. This means it often contributes towards circularity targets on construction projects.

The PSP set five broad objectives for the action plan:

Efficient manufacturing
Safer handling
Towards zero waste to landfill
Making the most of materials
Partnering on sustainability

Product Declaration

The GPA makes no distinction between products containing gypsum from different sources as the performance of the plasterboard products and drywall systems are unaffected.

Average recycled content of gypsum products manufactured in the UK rose to over 80% at its peak in 2014, making plasterboard systems a major contributor to sustainable building in GB. With the reduction in FGD gypsum since then, the figure is now 25% and expected to reduce further as coal fired power stations close.

All 3 UK gypsum manufacturing companies now have BES6001 certification, contributing towards responsible sourcing (Responsible Sourcing of Materials section in BREEAM 2011, Section 9 : Mat 3).

Continuous Improvement

In order to protect the environment, preserve resources and promote the long-term interests of stakeholders, the GB plasterboard industry is highly motivated to build upon its leading position in resource efficiency with further improvements:

The ground-breaking Ashdown Agreement on Plasterboard Recycling, signed with WRAP in 2007, resulted in an increase in the average recycled content. The change in the landfill guidance in April 2009 required that visible plasterboard waste cannot be disposed of in general landfill but must go to a non-hazardous mono cell. The greater cost of such disposal has increased the demand for cost effective closed-loop recycling.

The plasterboard industry also promotes greater recycling through its support of the Environment Agency & WRAP Quality Protocol programme, and the successful development of BSI PAS109: 2013 “Specification for the Production of Recycled Gypsum from Waste Plasterboard”.

The Plasterboard Sustainability Partnership (of which the GPA was a founding member) worked with the Defra Sustainable Products & Materials team to improve further the sustainability of plasterboard products across all life cycle stages. The industry product stewardship approach has been kept under review as cradle to grave life cycle models are further refined.

Conclusion and Outlook

The GB plasterboard industry is building upon its leading position in Europe and thereby improving the sustainability of all buildings in which plasterboard is used.