Owens Corning is marking an industry milestone with the completion of a commercial-scale trial to manufacture shingles using extracted asphalt from recycled shingles. The trial, which was completed at the company’s Summit, Ill. shingle plant, is the company’s most recent step toward its goal to divert 2 million tons of shingles from landfills annually through shingle recycling efforts.

The asphalt used to manufacture the trial shingles was extracted from waste shingles at the Indiana-based shingle recycling pilot plant, announced in 2022 and owned by technology company Redivius, a spin-off from CRS Reprocessing Services. The pilot — which has continued to scale since its opening in early 2023 — utilizes several proprietary, patent-pending processes for deconstructing post-consumer and post-industrial shingles to extract and reuse individual component raw materials. 

"As a market leader, we take our responsibility to solve our industry’s biggest challenges and make the world a better place seriously, and we remain committed to our shingle recycling aspiration," said Gunner Smith, Owens Corning Roofing president. "I’m incredibly proud of our team’s success in manufacturing the industry’s first shingle made with extracted asphalt from recycled shingles — a great testament to Owens Corning’s leading technology and product expertise.” 

Making Progress Toward Owens Corning’s Shingle Recycling Aspiration

The accomplishment builds on the company’s previously announced shingle recycling milestones:

• November 2022 – Announced enhanced shingle recycling efforts and intention to divert shingles from landfills through two workstreams: recycling shingles into new shingles and recycling shingles into asphalt pavement. 
• December 2022 – Held ribbon cutting for Indiana-based shingle recycling pilot facility operated by key partners. The pilot sought to deconstruct waste shingles and reclaim components for use in applications, including new shingles, asphalt paving, and other industrial applications.
• October 2023 – Announced the recycling pilot achieved deconstruction of waste shingles, extracting asphalt, granules, and filler. Also announced a partnership with the National Center for Asphalt Technology (NCAT) to conduct research studies on the usage of recycled shingles in pavement.
• February 2024 – Displayed an early-stage prototype shingle made with recycled content at the 2024 International Roofing Expo.

Laurand Lewandowski, Ph. D., Owens Corning director of asphalt innovation, will speak on the company’s leadership in turning post-consumer shingles into a circular model at the REMADE Circular Economy Tech Summit and Conference today, April 11, in Washington, D.C.

Technology Partnership to Make New Shingles from Old Ones

The company’s efforts to deconstruct tear-off shingles and repurpose components into new shingles are being completed in partnership with Redivius, Owens Corning’s partner in the advancement of shingle recycling efforts since 2022.

"Owens Corning brings unmatched industry expertise and building products leadership to our partnership, with a shared commitment to sustainability," said Redivius CEO Shawn Anderson. "We're excited to continue developing innovative solutions, reducing the impact of used roofing shingles in landfills, and progressing closer toward our shared vision of a circular shingle economy."

 Redivius and Owens Corning have indicated they will continue to optimize and scale commercial trials.