End users in the decking and insulation markets reported using more recycled content in 2020. | saravutpics / Shutterstock
Composite decking producer Azek leveraged more recycled material in its 2020 fiscal year, and insulation manufacturer Kingspan reported that it’s now taking in RPET.
A busy recycling year for Azek
Azek recently reported on its progress towards an ambitious recycled-content target. The Chicago-headquartered, publicly traded company on May 10 released a report indicating it used 400 million pounds of recycled material in the 2020 fiscal year, up from 290 million pounds in 2019.
According to the report, roughly 54% of Azek’s extruded materials were made from recycled material in 2020, up from 44% in 2019.
The company has a goal to use 1 billion pounds per year of recycled material by the end of 2026, according to the report. The company did not break down its use of specific recycled materials by weight.
Also in 2020, Azek acquired Return Polymers, a PVC recycling company based in Ashland, Ohio. This acquisition helped Azek launch a PVC recycling program to capture and recycle its own products at end of life. The company launched the “Azek Full-Circle PVC Recycling Program,” which provides on-site collection options for PVC products at Azek distributor and dealer locations, as well as other settings.
This PVC is sent to Return Polymers and is reprocessed and sent to Azek for use in new products.
Azek operates manufacturing sites in Minnesota, Ohio and Pennsylvania, and the company is gearing up to open an Idaho location.
Panel producer adds recycled content
Kingspan Insulated Panels North America announced it has begun using recycled PET in its products.
The company’s Modesto, Calif. production facility uses RPET from beverage containers as a “key raw material for manufacturing Kingspan’s QuadCore insulation,” the company noted in a May 11 update on sustainability measures.
The recycled material use translates to Kingspan having between 9% and 12% recycled content in its insulation foam, depending on the panel’s thickness, the company stated.
Kingspan ultimately has a goal to recycle 1 billion PET bottles per year into its insulation products, according to the sustainability update.
The Modesto insulated panels plant, which totals 138,500 square feet, is part of the global Kingspan building materials brand, which has more than 130 manufacturing sites.
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