Repurposing shingles one ton at a time

Northstar and IKO’s partnership is leading the way in sustainability by reducing greenhouse gas emissions and asphalt shingle waste. 

Sustainability in the roofing industry is top of mind for contractors and property owners alike. And in an effort to make the roofing industry more sustainable, IKO Industries has formed a partnership with Northstar Clean Technologies Inc. to repurpose asphalt shingles and divert waste from landfills. 

In an interview with Sustainable Biz Canada, Derek Fee, a corporate communications manager at IKO, shared, “We’re trying to explore what makes sense from a long-term perspective in terms of what can we incorporate into our operations and what’s the scope we can have in terms of repurposing those waste materials to reduce the amount of waste that’s going in landfills.” 

Northstar Clean Technologies is based in Vancouver, Canada and specializes in breaking down asphalt shingles into reusable components such as liquid asphalt, fiber and aggregates. This process generates fewer greenhouse gases compared to traditional asphalt production. The five-year agreement between IKO and Northstar is expected to divert up to 10,000 tons of shingles per year from landfills. 

IKO, which specializes in asphalt shingles, produces hundreds of millions annually for global markets and has manufacturing facilities throughout North America and Europe. According to the agreement made, IKO will send any shingle waste from its facility in Calgary, Canada to Northstar’s Empower Calgary Facility, which is currently still in its design phase. Aidan Mills, Northstar’s president and CEO, shared with Sustainable Biz Canada, “Hopefully by the end of the year, the facility will be up and running fully.” 

Once the facility is operational, it’s expected to process 40,000 tons of asphalt shingles annually. Aidan shared that a factor for choosing Calgary for the Northstar facility is due to its role in the development of more sustainable business practices. Derek added, “If we reclaim a lot of these products that’s fewer raw materials that we’re going to have to incorporate into the manufacturing process to begin with.” 

Learn more about Northstar’s plans for 2024 and their expansion into the Pacific Northwest here.