Second only to lumber as the most commonly used, and disregarded, building material, gypsum drywall has essentially been made the same way for over 100+ years. Like concrete, its manufacturing process is incredibly energy intensive and produces many harmful environmental side effects such as mercury production. Add on top of that all of the inherit problems linked with the material itself such as mold, dust, off-gassing, etc., and you’ve got one hell of a nasty building product that, up until recently, has been the only widely used, and affordable, option for interior finishing. Hopefully, this foul monopoly on drywall choices is about to end.
If Superman Were Drywall; He’d Be This
Serious Materials, makers of many sustainable basic building products, has finally developed a drywall product that is far and away an entirely different type of drywall. It is aptly named EcoRock. I know; another ‘eco’ product whose name is more environmentally friendly than itself; right? WRONG! Across the board, EcoRock is a superstar when it comes to it’s environmental and performance claims; and it’s just not myself and Serious Materials that thinks so. After evaluating and testing EcoRock, the product safety organization Underwriteres Laboratory (better known as the UL you see on virtually everything that goes into a building in the United States) has concluded that EcoRock is everything it claims to be. It’s the first, and only, drywall of its kind to hold such a distinction. What are these claims you so eagerly ask? I’ll let Serious Materials tell you:
EcoRock uses 80% less energy to produce than gypsum drywall
Naturally cured and dried, EcoRock eliminates the energy-intensive, high-C02 generating calcining and oven-drying found in gypsum drywall production.
EcoRock is made of 80% recycled materials
EcoRock is made using 80% post-industrial recycled waste, including waste from steel and cement plants—with no gypsum.
EcoRock is designed to be fully reutilized at end of life
EcoRock can be used as a pH additive for soils and can be returned to the production of EcoRock and other building materials as a valuable raw material. Unlike gypsum, EcoRock may be safely disposed of in landfills if necessary.
EcoRock is the most mold-resistant and lowest emitting drywall EcoRock outperforms all other mold resistant drywall by 50%. EcoRock scores the highest ASTM D3273 rating of 10 out of 10, showing zero mold growth over a six week period, (other published tests go only four weeks). No harsh anti-fungal chemicals are used on its surface or within its core.
EcoRock also drastically reduces the quantity of indoor air contaminants over any other drywall. EcoRock generates 60% less dust, and presents no negative effects of airborne mercury often generated during wallboard production using FGD (recycled) gypsum from coal plants.
But wait; there’s more:
- Meets 100% of ASTM C1396 physical drywall properties
- Used just like gypsum drywall
- Cleaner, smoother score & snap
- Generates less dust than gypsum drywall
- 50% more mold resistant face (fiberglass) and core
- Termite resistant face and core
- Impact resistant
- Ceiling sag resistant
- Tile backer board qualified
- Generates no mercury in production
- Can contribute up to 8 LEED credits
Coming from a development/contracting background, I have great appreciation for this product. Much like VAST Landscape Pavers, EcoRock’s designers have tried to take into account every aspect of the product’s material sources, manufacturing process, performance, and end of life cycle. This is probably why it’s already winning awards and has received extremely respectable third-party green accreditations such as Greenguard and the coveted Cradle To Cradle Gold certification.
With all of these things going for it, EcoRock will hopefully redefine the industry standard for drywall. As long as it stays competitive with its pricing,keeps up its vastly superior environmental/performance attributes, and is widely available, EcoRock should become the new standard, and choice, for drywall.
The Good: A cradle to cradle designed product that takes every component of its life cycle into account. EcoRock is in a class by itself when it comes to performance and sustainability.
The Bad: As with many fantastic sustainable products just being released, EcoRock’s availability is, as of now, limited (currently Western and Northwestern states). Slightly more expensive than standard cheap drywall. Construction industry notoriously stubborn to adopt innovative products; particularly if they cost more than the standards long used.
The Bottom-Line: A superior drywall product in every aspect, EcoRock is poised to reshape the drywall industry. It’s biggest challenge will be cost, distribution, and education of an often times pig-headed construction industry where the almighty dollar is the deciding factor 95% of time.
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