9 minute read
Owens Corning Puts Sustainability Front and Centre
BUILDING A
GREENER WORLD
Chris Allinotte, WRLA
Climate change is happening, and the effects are all around us. Whether it’s paying attention to recycling, car pooling, or reducing consumption of materials, individuals are finding ways help the environment. While the combined efforts of individuals can make a difference, if major corporations, especially manufacturers, don’t get behind the global efforts to reverse the effects of climate change, meaningful progress will remain frustratingly out of reach.
Owens Corning has recognized this fact and is committed to leading the way towards a sustainable future.
As of 2021, Owens Corning’s mission statement reflects over 16 years of dedication to responsible manufacturing: Building a sustainable future through material innovation.
Driven by this mission, the company has committed to three pillars of sustainability:
• Expanding our product handprint. We endeavor to increase the positive impacts our products have on the world. • Reducing our environmental footprint. We seek to limit the negative impact our operations have on the environment. • Increasing our social handprint. We work to safeguard people’s safety and help ensure that they live with health, happiness, and human dignity. Owens Corning is building a more sustainable future on a solid foundation, one that is based on years of successful innovation and dedication to their goals. Recently, they published their annual sustainability report, outlining their aspiration to be a net-positive company and highlight both the progress they’ve made and the work ahead. In the 2021 report, the focus is on Owens Corning’s efforts to double their products’ handprint, or net positive impact, while halving their environmental footprint, which is the measure of contributions their manufacturing and business activities have on the world around them.
Beginning their journey toward these goals nearly two decades ago, the targets have changed and evolved, informed by the most current scientific findings. With the latest report from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change affirming the need for urgent action, their science-based targets continue to inform their strategies and tactics from today to next week, next month, next year, and to 2030 and beyond.
PROGRESS THROUGH RENEWABLE ENERGY
To achieve their goals Owens Corning is sourcing renewable energy use; and fuel switching from on-site fossil fuel use to low-or no-carbon solutions. Long-term, they’ll be working to develop and implement last-mile solutions for operational emissions through innovation and exploration of still-emerging renewable fuel technologies.
In 2021, the company completed two power purchase agreements that added to their existing renewable electricity commitments. Sourcing 100 per cent renewable electricity, another goal for 2030, is an important step toward our ambition to fully decarbonize.
Owens Corning is further reducing demand through energy efficiency and has concurrently expanded their renewable energy investments and purchases globally, establishing programs in China, India, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, and Canada to reduce the footprint of both operations and of the products themselves. They have also committed to developing affordable technology to enable conversion from fossil fuel to carbon-neutral and renewable energy to power their processes.
AWARDS
In 2021, for the 12th year in a row, Owens Corning earned placement in the Dow Jones Sustainability World Index in recognition of its sustainability initiatives. The DJSI World Index is an elite listing of the world’s largest companies based on long-term economic, environmental, and social criteria.
Owens Corning’s world headquarters in Toledo, Ohio, U.S., earned the Environmental Protection Agency’s ENERGY STAR rating for 2021.
CLIMATE CHANGE
Severe weather phenomena, from droughts and wildfires to storms and floods, are occurring with greater frequency and greater severity than ever before. Global climate change, linked to human behavior, is now a scientifically recognized driver of these localized weather events. To help stem the devastation that is occurring as a result, the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has issued recommendations aimed at limiting warming to 1.5° C. Their latest reports have made clear the need to act decisively.
Because we will be affected by the impact of these changes for countless generations to come, people, and especially corporations must elevate their focus on adaptation and carbon removal, even as they continue to work diligently to mitigate greenhouse gas emissions.
The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) were established in 2015 as a framework for governments, businesses, and individuals to use in addressing our society’s most pressing issues. By setting our collective sights on these goals, we can help reduce inequality, fight climate change, and more. As Owens Corning has set their own sustainability goals, they have looked to the UN SDGs for guidance and insight. In their most recent Sustainability Report, which outlines the ways that OC is aligning with many of the UN SDGs, some of the best examples are through their commitment to combating climate change by Achieve 50 per cent reduction in absolute Scope 1 and Scope 2 greenhouse gas emissions from the 2018 baseline, in line with what is needed to limit global warming to 1.5° C. Beyond this, Owens Corning is collaborating with their suppliers to increase transparency around the raw materials used in their products. Through this collaboration, they aspire to reduce greenhouse gas emissions related to purchased materials and services by 30 per cent by 2030. The entire global sourcing team will be trained and recertified annually on sustainability. All these actions, and more, align with UN Goal #13: Climate Action.
CIRCULAR ECONOMY
Circular economy looks to replace the classic take, make and dispose linear model for product production with ways to recycle and repurpose materials at the end of their life.
The Owens Corning circular economy team, established in 2020, defines goals and prioritizes projects that accelerate our circular economy ambitions.
Specific actions include “Take-back” models, which encourage manufacturers to accept responsibility for downstream waste from customers using their products. For Owens Corning, this can include waste generated during construction, subsequent fabrication, installation, or protective packaging. Shingle recycling efforts are in place, as their Specialty Asphalt paving business is working with state departments of transportation, roofing contractors, and other stakeholders to create a circular economy model for roofing shingles.
Owens Corning is also a partner in the ZEBRA (Zero WastE Blade ReseArch) project in Europe, a cross-sector consortium launched in 2020 to develop the first 100 per cent recyclable wind turbine blade.
Top: Photo submitted by Karmakar Rupak from Silvassa, India.
WIND TURBINE BLADES
Wind power remains a central component of the world’s renewable energy strategies. Owens produces glass used in the reinforced composite materials that make wind turbine blades and nacelles. However, wind power’s potential comes with the necessity to deal with responsible end-of-life solutions for the blades. In the U.S., Owens Corning has collaborated with American Composite Manufacturers Association (ACMA) and the Institute for Advanced Composites Manufacturing Innovation (IACMI), as well as other stakeholders in the wind industry value chain to develop solutions to effectively deal with this waste. In addition to extending the service life of turbine blades, from 20 years to 30 or 40 years, the company has been looking at ways to close the loop where waste is concerned. For example, the materials can be used in cement kilns where energy and chemical content can be extracted, and the remaining inorganic materials are a raw material source for the cement.
PRODUCT INNOVATION
By 2030, Owens Corning aspires to offer the most recognized and preferred products for sustainability. To meet this ambitious goal, they are striving to implement strategies that deliver the lowest impact with respect to embodied carbon among all available options. Products are, or will be, designed for recycling or reuse at their end of life. In addition, they are increasing their transparency regarding the raw materials in Owens Corning products. Sharing the full impact of these allows customers the knowledge and context so they can do the same, making their own necessary contributions.
Recent product innovations in the Owens Corning portfolio include:
• PINK Next Gen™ Fiberglas® insulation, launched in 2021, offers the highest recycled content in the industry1, and it is certified made with 100 per cent renewable electricity through the use of power purchase agreements. • PAROC® Natura insulation is a carbon-neutral line of stone wool insulation that uses low-carbon melting technology, green electricity, recycled waste materials, new technologies, and purchased carbon offsets to minimize the amount of CO2 emitted during the manufacturing process. • FOAMULAR® NGX™ insulation, introduced in 2020, features a proprietary blowing agent that is optimized to demonstrate greater than 80 per cent reduction in embodied carbon, compared to legacy FOAMULAR® insulation products. The product meets and exceeds stringent regulations going into effect in 2021. • Trumbull® Asphalt has made significant strides over the last five years to reduce the number of oxidized products we produce for external asphalt markets. In 2015, 8 per cent of our products were non-oxidized2. Today, approximately 50 per cent of the products we produce for the external asphalt business are non-oxidized, requiring less energy, lower temperatures, and fewer emissions. This has resulted in a 3 per cent improvement in material efficiency across the 12 asphalt plants in the network. One important aspect to these changes is that, despite finding ways to reduce their environmental footprint, and increase their sustainability, Owens Corning is remaining profitable and providing quality product.
Lindsay Eybs, Strategy Lead, explains, “One of the biggest challenges is continuing to meet the needs of customers, maintaining or the same or better per product performance, while understanding how we can positively impact the environment in meaningful ways. Another challenge is education. Many are familiar with what it takes to achieve financial success and learning more about how sustainability fits into our business models will help. If everyone sees the value in financial success inclusive of sustainability, I believe the passion and commitment of our people will ensure success.”
IMPROVING THE HANDPRINT
Beyond simply finding ways to curb emissions, and finding responsible ways to recycle and reuse materials, Owens Corning is manufacturing products engineered to help users achieve their own sustainability goals. FOAMGLAS® Cellular Glass is a high-performance insulation, offering water and fire resistance, high compressive strength, and long-lasting thermal protection in
Top: FOAMULAR® NGX™ insulation. Bottom: PINK Next Gen™ Fiberglas® insulation.
commercial and industrial systems. The product includes post-industrial recycled glass, which in addition to diverting waste from landfills, minimizes energy consumption and optimizes manufacturing efficiency. FOAMGLAS® Compact Roof is a three-layer material designed to withstand high compressive loads and to resist deforming—which makes it a great option for rooftop gardens in urban settings which contribute to biodiversity and mitigation of climate change.
THE FUTURE IS NOW
By 2030, Owens Corning will be well on their way towards building a sustainable future. In addition to being a global leader in cutting edge building materials manufacturing, these goals will position them to be global leaders in sustainability. By demonstrating that responsible manufacturing doesn’t have to come at the cost of profitability, Owens Corning is providing leadership that others can feel confident to follow down a road to a better world for everyone.
1-2Owens Corning 15th Annual Sustainability Report, https://www.owenscorning.com/en-us/corporate/sustainability
