(EL32) GAF Presents: Product Circularity and the Roofing Sector

Asphalt is one of the most recyclable materials in the world, as it is repurposed waste byproduct in itself. There are multiple roofing materials used on residential roofs, but asphalt shingles make up the lionshare of the market. The physical properties of asphalt make it an excellent material to protect homes from the element for a long period of time.

We are past the point of thinking about circularity in asphalt applications that are limited to the pre-consumer stage, especially on the residential side of the roofing industry. This discussion will challenge how can the roofing industry can recapture post-consumer shingle waste and close the circularity loop by turning it back into newly manufactured roof shingles.

Nearly 12 million tons of asphalt roofing shingles make their way into landfills across the U.S. each year. At the end of its life as an asphalt shingle, ongoing circularity is predominantly incorporated in road paving. According to the National Asphalt Paving Association, in 2014 in the U.S. asphalt shingles contributed approximately one million tons worth of recycled material into new road paving materials. However, recycling asphalt shingles into road materials has dropped by more than 50% over the last five years, with an extra one million tons of asphalt shingles heading to landfills or other storage.

If bringing circularity into the asphalt shingle market were easy, it would already be done. This is a work in progress. This discussion brings together some of the leading experts in the roofing and product circulatory to provide education and insights on the topic.