The construction industry is notorious for its environmental impact: construction and demolition debris accounts for more than a third of all waste generated in the EU. Much of it is deposited in landfills.

In 1996, Paroc, a subsidiary of Owens Corning, introduced one of the first recycling programmes in Sweden for waste from stone wool, an insulation material. The REWOOL system takes back stone wool offcuts produced by customers’ production and building sites and gives them a second life. Rather than being sent to landfills, the waste is sorted, transported and recycled into new stone wool insulation.

By recycling stone wool offcuts, the programme contributes to circular economy business models and helps customers achieve their sustainability goals while reducing the need for virgin raw materials and minimising waste in landfills. As an added benefit, recycling offcuts instead of throwing them away increases the scores of buildings in environmental classifications such as Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) and Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Methodology (BREEAM).

The programme is a key part of Owens Corning’ s overall sustainability efforts. According to Beatrice Hallén, Senior Sustainability Leader for Insulation, Europe, Owens Corning:

‘We are working to replace virgin materials in our products, and the REWOOL programme is a piece of that. We are also looking into other industries’ waste fractions to see what is suitable for our production. By doing so, we can increase the so-called recycled content and contribute to the development of a circular economy.’

In the past nearly 30 years, Owens Corning has adapted the programme to incorporate the latest technology and customer-specific solutions. It is continuing to innovate and currently phasing in the REWOOL initiative in more markets, including Finland, Germany and Poland.

Customer demand for REWOOL continues to rise. The Parainen plant in Finland has recently received a record amount of waste, spurring the company’s efforts to develop and expand the REWOOL service across its markets.