We know you design with the environment in mind, and so do we. National Gypsum is an eco-friendly manufacturer by choice, committed to developing and implementing sustainable building policies, standards and practices. We work with you to attain the highest level of ecological responsibility and resource-efficient technology. Here are some ways we put our sustainability mission into action:

1. Save Energy

• Our modernized LED lighting limits energy consumption and improves safety.
• Many of our kilns utilize an Energy Optimization System (EOS), where exhaust air from the first zone in the board dryer preheats air in other zones, saving tens of thousands of mmBtus.
• Our Burlington, New Jersey, facility uses exhaust from a natural gas-fired electric turbine to heat the board dryer – reducing greenhouse gas emissions by 20,000 metric tons per year as compared to coal.

2. Water, Air And More

• Our baghouse systems control air pollution and also recycle collected material back into the manufacturing process.
• We send used oils, spent vehicle batteries, used wooden pallets and used solvent to third-party recyclers rather than waste haulers.
• We use biological treatment and sedimentation control to treat water prior to discharge.
• We use Low NOx burners in combustion devices to reduce smog-generating emissions.

3. Reduce Transportation Mileage

• We reduce the weight of our products, allowing us to put more products on each truck.
• We use the most efficient delivery routes, traveling fewer miles.
• Our vast network of plants lets us ship from the location closest to you.

4. Manufacture With Recycled Paper And Byproduct Gypsum

• 100 percent of our gypsum board face and back paper is produced from post-consumer recyclable content.
• Our three paper mills manufacture product from 100-percent recycled cardboard, magazines and trimmings from print shops.
• Our byproduct gypsum comes from a process that removes sulfur dioxide from emissions at coal-fired power plants.
• Five of our plants produce exclusively with byproduct gypsum (Shippingport, Pennsylvania; Apollo Beach, Florida; Mt. Holly, North Carolina; Westwego, Louisiana; and Shoals, Indiana).

Beyond offering products that can help contribute to healthier environments and have achieved GREENGUARD Certification for indoor air quality, we can help you meet the criteria for green programs and credits, such as LEED® 2009 and LEED® v4.

Click Green Product Score (GPS) for details about National Gypsum products you are specifying for your project (or considering for a future project). The GPS score report includes information about recycled content, regional materials, indoor air quality and other certifications.

The full suite of Gypsum Association (GA) Life-Cycle Assessment Tools, including the latest EPD and LCA Report, are available for free download at www.gypsum.org/stewardship/life-cycle-assessment-t...

National Gypsum associates Pat Grotlisch, construction design manager-West region, and Amy Hockett, architectural specialist, recently attended GREENBUILD 2016 in Los Angeles, California. We asked them to share their thoughts about this important international conference and expo:

“Since I live in L.A. and received my LEED Green Associate accreditation in November 2015, I was extremely excited to attend my first GREENBUILD conference. I found two of the sessions to be particularly interesting: ‘Green Codes & LEED: do we need both?’ and ‘From California Dreamin’ to ZNE Reality in the Golden State.’ Both sessions focused on California and the state’s relationship to sustainability. I was perplexed at the small number of attendees from Los Angeles and California – especially since the A&D community in the state is committed to the green movement. However, after giving it some thought, it may be that California is at the forefront of sustainability with the implementation of CALGreen; therefore, LEED certification may be less significant. Another interesting aspect of GREENBUILD 2016 was an increased emphasis on the residential community and issues. In keeping with this theme, there was a Tiny House floor exhibit and education session, ‘The Tiny House Movement: Part of the Solution for our Housing /Environmental Crisis.’ Boston will host GREENBUILD 2017, and there will be expanded learning resources on the residential community there.”
- Pat Grotlisch, CSI, CDT, LEED Green Associate

“GREENBUILD 2016 provided many educational opportunities for designers, contractors and manufacturers to learn more about transparency documents (HPDs and EPDs) and also repositories developed to host required documents for certain LEED v4 Materials and Resources credit compliance. HPD Collaborative, creator of the HPD Open Standard, announced their HPD Public Repository allowing building product manufacturers to post their published HPDs on this site, making documents widely available for the building industry. The mindful MATERIALS Collaborative, an initiative launched by HKS Architects that now includes 12 of the most prominent U.S. architecture firms, designed a database to promote material transparency across the industry. The mindful MATERIALS database offers building product manufacturers a central location to upload different types of documents, including EPDs, HPDs and Corporate Sustainability Reports. It is apparent that designers and LEED consultants find value in these types of repository sites – reducing time spent searching for required documents to meet credit criteria.”

- Amy Hockett, AIA, CDT, LEED Green Associate

“An investment in knowledge pays the best interest.” – Benjamin Franklin

Take time now to complete one of these continuing education courses:

Watch The ASTM E119 Fire Test!

Watch how we put our products to the fire test for ASTM E119.

(Hint: Our gypsum board sample will endure temperatures over 1550°.)