Roofing Goes Green

By Cass Jacoby.

Learn about the companies that are driving the industry towards a greener future.  

It is no secret that now more than ever is the time to focus on greener roofing solutions and for companies to reduce CO2 emissions. As manufacturers innovate to provide products that work longer and use greener practices, consumers and contractors alike can do their part to make sustainable choices. We have rounded up some pioneering companies that are driving the industry towards a more sustainable future. 

Re-use and recycle 

Environmentally responsible materials are more popular than ever, which is why an endlessly recyclable metal that won’t lose its strength and durability is a key component in EXCEPTIONAL® Metals’ pledge to reduce their environmental impact. 

Malarkey adds upcycled rubber and plastic polymers from used tires and water bottles to help extend shingle life. The upcycled materials improve the shingle's resilience and strength, creating an incredibly durable material that will last through extreme weather conditions like intense wind, rain and impact. 

Often on a roof made of a thousand pieces of tile, there are only a few broken tiles. Rather than reroofing, which comes at a substantial environmental cost, All Points makes it easy to simply replace the few bits of damaged tile. Completely re-doing a roof creates harmful emissions during production while unnecessarily filling landfills. This is why All Points Tile is driven to provide local, national and international customers with the ability to identify, procure, color-match, store and deliver tiles. These processes make fixing a roof and replacing tiles much greener, while also making it easier for contractors to quickly finish the job and deliver a beautiful roof. 

Certifiably sustainable 

Sika strives to be transparent about their products from a full life cycle “cradle to grave” point of view. As such, Sika products are certified sustainable and designed to meet LEED standards in order to build a brighter future for our environment. 

Sika has been publishing Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for its products since 2012 and its extensive EPD portfolio covers all of its construction target markets, from roof to basement. The only liquid-applied roofing and waterproofing systems that offer a fully disclosed cradle-to-grave EPD are Sikalastic RoofPro products. 

Duro-Last, Inc. is the first manufacturer to publish a product specific PVC environmental product declaration (EPD) for single-ply membranes, reporting the lifecycle environmental impact of each of their membrane products. Duro-Last also leads the roofing industry with the most certifications under NSF/ANSI 347, and is one of the only two manufacturers to achieve the highest-level platinum certification.  

Green technology 

Malarkey is committed to the environment and developed the industry’s first smog-reducing shingle by incorporating 3M smog-reducing granules. These granules are used in all of Malarkey’s shingles. You won’t even be able to tell the granules are there because they blend into the shingle’s color.   

Another way to reduce smog and the Urban Heat Island effect is through the use of green roofs. SOPREMA makes it easy to incorporate vegetated roofing systems into any low-slope roof with SOPRANATURE® green roof, which uses natural vegetation, like grasses and shrubs, to turn the roof, a usually neglected space, into a green oasis. 

The roof layers act as a soil and drainage system, compensating for the hampered ecosystems resulting from urban development, offering a multitude of economic and environmental benefits to building owners and communities. 

In addition to their innovative green roofing solutions, SOPREMA is deeply engaged in developing sustainability initiatives within their communities. For instance, they have a company recycling program and employees who have worked at SOPREMA for 20 years get a tree planted on the property in their name. 

Energy efficiency 

Western Colloid's Cool Roof Systems can make a huge difference in the heating and cooling costs of your building, specifically with Fluid Applied Reinforced Roofing (FARR) systems. The cost of upgrading or restoring your roof with this system is offset by the cost savings for your building. Additionally, your roof upgrade may qualify for government rebates, tax deductions or write-offs. 

Similarly, ATAS has a variety of cool roof products designed to reflect more sunlight and absorb less heat, bringing a new definition of “cool” to sustainability by bringing down the temperature.

Conclusion  

These are just a few of the ways that the roofing industry is working towards ensuring a brighter, cleaner and certifiably greener future. Roofing products that extend the life of the roof, promote efficiency and save materials from landfills are smart choices for contractors and homeowners and show just how much you care about our planet and making sustainable choices to preserve it.  

Have a question? AskARoofer.   

Find your local roofing contractor in the RoofersCoffeeShop® Contractor Directory.  

About Cass  

Cass works as a reporter/writer for RoofersCoffeeShop and AskARoofer. When she isn’t writing about roofs, she is writing about movies for her master's degree and dancing with her plants.