Gypsum recycling rate significantly increased
Gypsum recycling is becoming an important pillar of the national raw material supply
Bucking the trend of a weakening construction industry, the amount of recycled gypsum from external recycling plants was increased by 13000 t in 2023. This is according to statistics from the Bundesverband der Gipsindustrie e. V. (German Gypsum Industry Association). Compared to the previous year, this represents an increase of 17%. The German Gypsum Industry Association collects annual data on the quantities of different raw materials used by its members. Since data collection began in 2013, a steady increase in recycled gypsum volumes has been observed - with the exception of a brief dip in 2022. “This is an impressive result, especially against the backdrop of a difficult economic environment in the construction industry,” says Holger Ortleb, Managing Director of the association. The trend is heading in the right direction and confirms the increasing acceptance of recycled gypsum: “This development, among other things, underlines the sustainability values of gypsum building materials, which have no alternative.”
Alongside the extraction of raw materials from domestic mining, recycled gypsum is an important pillar in the national supply of raw materials. “Even if the volume of recycled gypsum is nowhere near enough to cover the demand for raw materials, the statistics nevertheless show that it is developing into an important and sustainable source of raw materials alongside natural gypsum,” emphasizes Holger Ortleb. The association welcomes and supports the further expansion of the proportion of recycled gypsum. “However, in order to fully exploit the potential of recycled gypsum, the German government must create the urgently needed legal certainty for the use of recycled gypsum,” Ortleb demands.
Gypsum is multi-recyclable
Recycled gypsum is a quality-assured raw material with product status that is equivalent to natural gypsum and can be used for the manufacture of various gypsum products in cooperation with companies in the recycling industry. It is obtained by recycling and carefully processing plasterboard. The successful concept for realizing multi-recyclability under the motto “Gypsum remains gypsum” is the cooperation between building owners, processors and the waste disposal industry (recyclers) with the building material manufacturers (gypsum industry). The gypsum recycling concept is significantly supported by the authorities, which provide regulations and information on the separation of gypsum waste and information on high-quality recycling in the sense of the circular economy. The aim is to return 100% of gypsum recyclables to the material cycle wherever possible. This also avoids the environmental impact of unnecessary landfilling.
