What's In a Wall: Sustainable Synthetic Sheetrock

Last week, we at a world without drywall. Plaster walls are an excellent sustainable choice and offer considerable old-world charm. However, the limitation to interior finished plaster is the additional labor involved to have it installed. This drives the cost of a project up, something not all of us can afford.

But manufacturing the alternative, natural gypsum wallboard (commonly referred to as sheetrock or drywall), is an environmentally expensive endeavor. Gypsum is a mineral that requires extensive mining to extract it, which causes considerable environmental degradation and carbon emissions. But, according to the Gypsum Association, synthetic drywalls offer a sustainable alternative to the mined gypsum. 

Containing identical properties as natural gypsum, synthetic drywall formulations are derived from the desulfurization of flue gasses in fossil fuel plants. These waste materials would otherwise find their way into landfills. In addition, the paper facings of drywall (both natural and synthetic) are primarily recycled newspaper. Another ecological advantage of synthetic gypsum is that it can be locally produced since it can be manufactured anywhere there is a fossil fuel plant rather than the specific mining locations where gypsum is found.

I recommend a couple of these synthetic drywall formulations for projects in Pacifica: GreenGlass and EcoRock. 

GreenGlass is made with 90% recycled content. Since it has no paper backing, using a fiberglass mesh instead, it is highly mold and mildew resistant. This drywall meets all building requirements for fire resistance. I’ve used this material on several remodeling projects and most recently in my daughter’s bedroom.

EcoRock is another option I like because it’s made from 80% recycled content and is designed to be reused at the end of its lifecycle. EcoRock creates up to 60% less dust during installation than most wall materials—a huge bonus for indoor air quality. EcoRock is also mold and mildew resistant, a benefit for those of us on the Coastside.

All in all, mining of natural gypsum and manufacturing of the sheetrock based on it has a negative ecological impact while synthetic gypsum offers a way to divert large volumes of waste from our landfills. The next time you need to fix that drywall, consider buying a synthetic sheetrock. You’ll be conserving resources in the process.