A leading manufacturer, IKO, has taken the initiative to pilot a commercial recycling effort in its U.S plant

As one of the first shingle plants in the region, the company is focused on shingle recycling and has announced full commissioning of its asphalt shingles recycling line. The facility boasts eight modern shingle manufacturing plants, and it began its pilot phase with a two-story 28,000 sq ft area dedicated to testing shingle recycling processes. In addition to its pilot phase, the company has also invested in TPO recycling lines and is actively looking for ways to reduce waste and improve sustainability efforts across all of its manufacturing plants.

IKO is doing a sustainability program by piloting a commercial recycling effort in one of its U.S. plant locations

The company, known for being one of the first asphalt shingle manufacturers to introduce shingle recycling systems, has recently opened a new shingle recycling center that will enable it to recycle its own waste and commercialized shingles. The project broke ground with the aim of reducing waste and maximizing the use of recycled raw material in its production process. The company's goal is to achieve zero waste in all of its shingle plant locations, and this new recycling center is an important step towards achieving this objective. The completed recycling plant is expected to handle up to 100 tons of waste per day, which is significantly higher than the average production facility. This makes it one of the largest facilities dedicated to shingle recycling in the U.S. The first manufacturer has set an example for others by introducing recycled content into their manufacturing process and actively investing in reducing their environmental impact.

The plant currently processes 150 tons of material per day and employs technology to recover industrial raw materials such as asphalt shingles. The efforts have paid off, as the company has recovered over 2 million tons of materials that would have otherwise been landfilled, exceeding benchmarks set by industry standards. This impressive feat exceeds even the company's own expectations, as they had previously landfilled 13 million tons of waste material before implementing these recycling efforts. The IKO Hagerstown TPO facility has become a model for others in the industry to follow, showcasing how companies can make a positive impact on the environment while still remaining profitable. As the plant reaches its capacity for shingle material, the plant manager plans to continue seeking out new opportunities to recycle and reduce waste in their manufacturing process.

With a clear focus on reducing waste and achieving zero carbon emissions and zero percent waste (which is impossible), the company has taken the first significant step towards achieving climate neutrality. The company's shingle plants have been at the forefront of their sustainability efforts, reducing shingle-related disposal while increasing efficiency through shared best practices across facilities. At an EU conference earlier this year, Leading Manufacturer shared their progress towards sustainability and momentum Europe's pledge to achieve climate neutrality by 2050. The company's Hawkesbury facility has already made significant strides towards European Green Deal objectives, and the new recycling effort in their U.S. plant is another step in that direction. As the plant reaches its capacity for shingle material, the plant manager plans to continue seeking out new opportunities to recycle and reduce waste in their manufacturing process.