Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels answer architects’ desire for products with reduced environmental impacts; meets industry’s 2030 Challenge
Chicago, IL (March 14, 2017) – USG Corporation (NYSE: USG), an industry-leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions, introduced the next big thing in wallboard: Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels.
Developed to answer the demand for sustainable building products, Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels represent a revolution in wallboard manufacturing, creating the industry’s first and only wallboard that is both lightweight and sustainable. These panels are built upon USG’s UltraLight technology that contractors prefer but now manufactured with a significantly reduced carbon footprint and lower water usage.
“We always strive to solve our industry’s toughest challenges, and as demand for sustainable products continues to grow, architects and builders are looking to manufacturers to take the next step in lowering our environmental footprint,” said Jennifer Scanlon, President and CEO of USG Corporation. “That’s why it was important to develop a way to use less water and energy in the manufacturing process. This provides our industry with an opportunity to address environmental challenges, and gives architects a product that is specifiable for sustainability.”
According to Architecture 2030, buildings consume nearly half of all the energy produced in the United States and are the most significant source of greenhouse gas. Buildings are also responsible for 45 percent of CO2 emissions. It’s up to both building designers and product manufacturers to tackle a problem of this magnitude.
“There has been a significant movement in the architecture community to reduce the carbon footprint of the building sector,” said Edward Mazria, CEO and Founder of the Architecture 2030 Challenge. “Yet, to fully achieve our goal for the building sector to become carbon-neutral by 2050, manufacturers like USG must quickly rise to the occasion and develop sustainable, low-carbon and zero-carbon building materials.”
USG committed to developing a wallboard with a lower carbon footprint when it adopted the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products in July 2016. To date, USG is the only wallboard manufacturer to have done so. With its Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels, architects will have, for the first time ever, a truly sustainable and lightweight wallboard that can be specified in their designs. These panels may also contribute to achieving additional USGBC® LEED® v4.0 credits and meet the requirements of the Living Building Challenge.
USG Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels represent a revolution in wallboard manufacturing, resulting in wallboard that provides the same performance characteristics as USG Sheetrock® Brand UltraLight Panels but with sustainable features. Scientists at USG’s Corporate Innovation Center developed new gypsum core chemistries and a manufacturing process to reduce 20 percent of carbon dioxide emissions and decrease water usage by 25 percent. These panels also reduce transportation fossil fuel consumption because they are lighter weight.
USG’s Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels are available nationwide to distributors in 5/8” thickness, and are offered in two core formulations for fire- and non-fire-rated applications.
For more information, visit usg.com/eco.
For more information about the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products, please visit architecture2030.org/2030_challenges/products.
About USG Corporation
USG Corporation is an industry leading manufacturer of building products and innovative solutions. Headquartered in Chicago, USG serves construction markets around the world through its United States Gypsum Company and USG Interiors, LLC subsidiaries and its international subsidiaries, including its USG Boral Building Products joint venture. Its wall, ceiling, flooring, sheathing and roofing products provide the solutions that enable customers to build the outstanding spaces where people live, work and play. Its USG Boral Building Products joint venture is a leading plasterboard and ceilings producer across Asia, Australasia and the Middle East. For additional information, visit www.usg.com.
