Armstrong partnership eyes landfill diversion

Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based Armstrong World Industries Inc. has announced a partnership with Pennsylvania-based Irving Consumer Products designed to improve the “environmental footprints” of the Macon, Georgia, facilities operated by both companies.

In the second quarter of 2022, Irving, a maker of store-brand tissue, will begin diverting its tissue fiber mill byproducts to Armstrong’s mineral fiber plant. The arrangement will reduce Armstrong’s need to source and purchase old newspapers (ONP) and other scrap paper grades as an input raw material for its ceiling products.

As a result, Armstrong and Canada-based Irving Consumer Products expect to divert more than 3,500 tons of fiber annually from landfill disposal, supporting each firm’s circularity and waste diversion sustainability goals.  

Since 1999, Armstrong has been using recycled paper as a raw material and recycling old ceiling tiles back into its manufacturing process through the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program, helping customers meet their own waste reduction targets in the process. The company estimates that more than 200 million square feet of used ceiling materials have been diverted from landfills through the program.

Irving Consumer Products’ manufacturing operations partially involve diverting ash and lime to local farmers to enrich their fields and using postconsumer cardboard to pack its products.

Armstrong Macon Plant Manager William Woolard says, “This partnership is a win-win and a great example of companies working together at a local level to help solve a global problem while improving our own processes. We diversify our raw material stream and save in cost and energy related to shipping heavy material like paper. Irving Consumer Products saves on landfill costs and its fiber byproduct can live another life as Armstrong ceiling tile.”

Irving Consumer Products Macon Finance Manager Greg Kinsman says, “The partnership demonstrates our commitment to reducing our environmental footprint. Continuous improvement and innovation are important parts of our company’s values. We are always looking for new ways to become more efficient, and this partnership will help us move toward even more sustainable practices.”