Historically, the Australian architecture, design and construction industry has been reliant on linear processes of resource extraction, production, use, and disposal. However, with the dynamic rise of the circular economy, the sector has arrived at somewhat of a roundabout – and it’s working on finding its way around it.
Driven by factors like resource scarcity, waste management costs, and consumer demand, industry professionals are striving to embrace the circular ethos, and its potential to address environmental challenges – and the Australian Government is coming to the table, too. Initiatives like the 2019 National Waste Policy Plan and the launch of the Circular Economy Ministerial Advisory Group in 2023 signify growing commitment to reducing waste, increasing resource recovery, and promoting more sustainable consumption and production. While these undertakings are a positive step, the transition to a circular economy in the construction industry faces several challenges. With urgent need for updated regulations and cultural shifts, economic barriers and supply chain complexities, the road to circular economy certainly isn’t straightforward.
However, companies like Knauf Gypsum in Australia – a renowned manufacturer of plasterboard wall and ceiling systems – are making great strides in the adoption of circular practices, and encourage others to join in.
Knaufs circular legacy
The company’s commitment to the circular economy is not new. The Knauf Group has a history of pioneering sustainable practices – like the development of the world's first 100% climate-neutral, fully recycled gypsum wallboard at the Yokkaichi Plant in Japan. Closer to home, this innovative manufacturer introduced Stratopanel gypsum panels, designed for reusability through a screw cap system that allows for easy removal without breakage. And more recently, Knauf in Australia turned its efforts to minimising the environmental impact of its plasterboard manufacturing scrap disposal processes.
From waste to resource
Downcycling is a process of converting waste materials into new, different products – and it’s a method Knauf Australia has strategically embraced as part of their efforts to reduce the company’s environmental impact. In 2023, recognising the untapped potential of recycled gypsum as a valuable resource, the company decided to bring the process of plasterboard scrap management in-house.
Completed by Knauf’s local team at their Queensland Pinkenba Production Plant, the downcycling process involves crushing and grinding the scrap into a fine powder using an Allu bucket attached to a digger. The resulting recycled gypsum product offers multiple benefits for a broad range of industries. In agriculture, for instance, it acts as a valuable soil ameliorant which enhances soil structure and drainage and optimises nutrient uptake by plants. In civil engineering, it serves as an effective material for road embankments, backfilling, and landscaping. In addition, recycled gypsum can even be used as a coagulant to treat sediment-laden water, enhancing the effectiveness of existing water treatment systems as a result.
12,000 tonnes of waste downcycled: A significant impact
Since bringing the plasterboard manufacturing scrap disposal process in-house, Knauf has downcycled an impressive 12,000 tonnes of waste. To put things in perspective, this volume is equivalent to the weight of roughly 240 average-sized Australian homes. This impressive achievement underscores the significance of Knauf's efforts to divert plasterboard scrap from landfills – but it also shines light on the company’s ingenious approach to the transportation of the recycled gypsum to agricultural sites.
Knauf wanted to ensure that the logistics of sending the downcycled product to the agricultural sites was as efficient as possible, keeping both the costs and environmental footprint to a minimum. To achieve that, the organisation collaborated with agricultural companies already transporting products near Knauf’s Pinkenba site, which enabled them to utilise their return journey to take back the product without adding extra mileage.
While the environmental benefits of downcycling are certainly the highlight of this initiative, Knauf Australia’s foresight and decision-making clearly demonstrate their holistic and multifaceted take on environmental responsibility.
What’s next?
The undeniable success of this trial has spurred Knauf Australia to expand the program across its entire Australian operation – an excellent step in the pursuit of the company’s goals of achieving zero waste to disposal by 2032. As part of these ambitions, Knauf Australia is also exploring the possibility of collecting plasterboard waste from construction sites after use, and processing it similarly to the manufacturing scrap. While this initiative is still in development, and will require Knauf Australia to ensure quality assurance and appropriate management of contamination risks, if successfully implemented, it would mark a fundamental shift towards genuine product circularity.
Through their resource efficiency initiatives, Knauf Australia is exemplifying environmental leadership not only within the architecture, design and construction sector. Their multifaceted approach encourages cross-sector collaboration, inviting other industries to commit, and go full circle too. And with Knauf Australia’s environmental roadmap outlining their 2032 goals currently under development, there is no doubt their position as a leader in the circular economy will be further cemented in the coming years.
