Sustainable Products Lead to Sustainable Practices

Sustainability drives both business and innovation at USG. By investing in new technologies and manufacturing methods, USG is working to combat climate change and conserve resources for future generations, honoring our 115-year heritage of responsibility.

Following our recent commitment to the Science-Based Targets initiative (SBTi), USG is entering a new era of corporate transparency and enabling our customers to choose sustainable products that avoid dangerous chemicals and reduce the overall impact on the environment.

Recycled and Eco-Conscious Ceilings

Recycled content can come from a variety of sources like manufacturing waste, used newspapers, old soda cans, or even blue jean denim. USG offers an array of products that are manufactured with a diverted waste stream.

Design Solutions™ - Colortex™ Barz® are prefabricated versions of our USG Ceilings Plus product made from 100% recycled materials providing both sustainable design and excellent acoustic performance. Additionally, USG Ceilings Plus products are tailored for your specific space, which can dramatically reduce waste materials.

Mars™ Acoustical Panels are made from 69% recycled content as well as 100% renewable electricity, offering a lower embodied carbon than comparable products while maximizing LEED recycled content contribution.

Redefining Sustainable Drywall

Drawing upon the company’s commitment to sustainability in construction materials, USG set out to develop the most sustainable drywall possible: USG Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode® X. These panels offer the same strength, sound, and fire resistance as traditional Type X products.

USG Sheetrock® Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode® X is the industry’s first wallboard designed to reduce weight, water, and embodied carbon. These panels generate up to 20% fewer CO2 emissions in the manufacturing process and weigh up to 22% less than Standard Type X, increasing installation productivity as well as fitting more panels on fewer trucks; this has the added benefit of decreasing the consumption of fossil fuel during transport.

Laying Down Sustainable Solutions

USG’s portfolio of sustainable solutions also extends to our underlayment, tile backer, structural panel, and roofing offerings for a more comprehensive approach to green building.

The USG Levelrock® Brand 2500 Series of floor underlayment is the first self-leveling underlayment product that contributes to multiple green building certifications. This product also features UL GREENGUARD Gold Certification, which qualifies it as a low VOC emitting material that meets CA 01350.

USG STRUCTO-CRETE® Brand Structural Panels are manufactured free of any LBC Red List chemicals. Due to their noncombustible composition and structural stability, these panels provide a long-term structural solution that contributes to the overall lifespan of a building by reducing repairs and building costs.

USG Fiberock® Brand Underlayment panels and USG Fiberock® Brand Tile Backerboard panels are manufactured from an environmentally sustainable, specially engineered combination of synthetic gypsum and cellulose fibers. These products have an integral water-resistant composition that offers durability, superior performance, and exceptional tile bond.

USG Securock® Brand Gypsum-Fiber Roof Board is suitable for a variety of roof systems and comes free of any LBC Red List chemicals while containing up to 97% recycled content. Its unique, homogenous composition gives the panel strength and water resistance through to the core.

Learn more about USG’s sustainability goals here.