As the recent observance of Earth Day put sustainability even more in the spotlight, Owens Corning is sharing some of their efforts to accelerate its sustainability progress. Through investments that included construction of a new production plant, supply chain logistics and a whole lot of collaboration, Owens Corning was able to eliminate HFC 134 a from its XPS insulation (foam) products a year before new environmental regulations go into effect in 2024.
Rodney Wideman, vice president/general manager foam insulation at Owens Corning, sat down with us to chat about the full conversion from the legacy XPS product to FOAMULAR NGX which boasts a greater than 80% reduction in GWP.
On the topic of sustainability, Owens Corning recently published its 2023 Sustainability Report, Making the Difference, outlining the company’s progress toward its 2030 sustainability goals. This marks the 18th sustainability report from Owens Corning, which published its first report in 2006.
Notable accomplishments outlined in this year’s report include:
- Product innovation: Across all its businesses, Owens Corning offers an extensive portfolio of products that can help customers save energy and lower emissions. In 2023, 59% of the company’s revenue came from this category of products. In addition, 14 products are certified as made with 100% renewable electricity. These products make up 25% of the company’s total revenue.
- Reducing greenhouse gas emissions: The company achieved a 28% reduction in Scope 1 and 2 emissions from a 2018 baseline. These results move Owens Corning closer to its goal of a 50% reduction in absolute Scope 1 and 2 market-based GHG emissions by 2030.
- Circular economy: The company made progress toward its efforts to recycle two million tons of shingles per year in the U.S. by 2030. In late 2022, the company and its partners launched an asphalt shingle recycling pilot program developed to deconstruct residential and industrial waste shingles and extract their component materials. In 2023, the facility successfully achieved shingle deconstruction, extracting asphalt, granules, and filler. The process is designed to reclaim the entire shingle to avoid any components of the product going to waste.
- Waste: In 2023, Owens Corning reduced the amount of waste sent to landfills by 14% compared to a 2018 baseline. The company is working to develop capabilities for reducing, recycling, and diverting its waste streams, both internally and with external partners. To accelerate internal recycling capabilities, the company built its first Circular Economy Recycling Technology Innovation Laboratory at our Science & Technology Center in Granville, Ohio, U.S.
- Employee safety: In 2023, the company’s recordable incident rate was 0.60, which is 81% below the industry average, as reported by the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics.
- Inclusion and diversity: Representation is on-track to meet 2030 goals for women and people of color in leadership roles, with improvement in representation deeper in our talent pipeline for women and people of color.
Listen to Rodney speak about the company's sustainability initiatives and this newest production conversion in our conversation with him.
