LIFE Gypsum to Gypsum

EUROGYPSUM

We established Ritleng Revalorisations as a family business to deal with mounting volumes of gypsum waste generated by the construction and demolition sector. Our company operates recycling centres in mainland France where more than 48 000 tonnes of plaster have already been treated and reused in new buildings.

Larger with Life

Between 2013-2016, the EU LIFE Programme invested nearly €1.8 million in the €3.6 million Gypsum to Gypsum project to boost the recycling rate of plasterboard from the construction sector. Over 2 million of tonnes of demolished plaster are buried each year in Europe. Ritleng Revalorisations has been recycling this waste since 2012, engaging in efforts later pursued by peers in the LIFE-funded project Gypsum to Gypsum.

EU added value

• Alleviate burden on EU landfills
• Curtail unnecessary mining activities
• Keep Europe’s ecosystems unpolluted

Prospects

• Set building deconstruction standards
• Favour green public procurement
• Green partnerships in other industrial sectors

Achievements

• Produced plasterboard with up to 30% recycled gypsum from the demolition sector
• Demonstrated the feasibility and benefits of building deconstruction over demolition
• Spread best practices for re-routing gypsum waste separately from other building materials
• Published the first comprehensive assessment on the carbon footprint of recycling gypsum
• Ran the first internationally synchronised trials in the plasterboard manufacturing industry

Policy support

• Recycle construction and demolition waste identified in the EU Waste Framework Directive
• Increase the reuse rate of gypsum as set out in the European circular economy action plan
• Minimise waste to limit its environmental impact in line with the EU Landfill Directive