Look for this logo to ensure the product you want is environmentally-friendly.

 

 

Building Products of Canada Corp., BP Green Building Initiative

Building Products of Canada Corp. (BP) is a manufacturer of building materials, the majority of which are designated for the building envelope. These include roofing materials such as shingles and underlayments, as well as structural, insulating and sound deadening boards.

The Company has an Environmental Policy that reflects its long-held commitment to the environment, to the application of the most effective energy, materials and waste management equipment and processes in its operations, and to the development and manufacture of environmentally-safe products that promote energy-efficiency and sustainability.

This commitment begins at the top, exemplified by the Company?s Chairman of the Board, Douglas Speers, serving as Executive Board Chair of CIPEC (Canadian Industry Program for Energy Conservation).

The Company?s ?Zero Waste? initiative includes an association with Lafarge in Edmonton and with road builder Sintra Inc. in Quebec to recycle shingle waste into paving material. Using recycled asphalt shingles in paving material not only brings a number of environmental benefits but can actually improve the pavement?s performance by increasing its resistance to wear and moisture, and decreasing deformation, rutting, and thermal fatigue and cracking.

The Company?s Edmonton roofing plant has a Paper Recycling Depot that is part of the city?s network of recycling drop-off centres. The depot collects some 12,000 tons per year of waste paper which it uses in the production of shingles, felts and other roofing products.

PAPER PRODUCTS

The Company?s paper mills use thermo-mechanical processing (rather than chemical processing) to recycle post-consumer waste (paper and cardboard), post-industrial material (e.g., by-products of saw mills) and pre-consumer substandard paper products from our own plants and as well as from other paper mills.

ROOFING PRODUCTS

Shingles, depending on their composition and construction, come in a range of warranties. It is understood that shingles that are expected to perform for a longer period of time will have a lesser impact on the environment by decreasing the total quantity of material that ends up in landfill sites.

This is recognized by the Alberta Built Green program and various BP shingles are being listed on their ?Product Catalogue? with points awarded according to the length of the warranty given on the different models of shingles. 2 points are awarded for a minimum 25-year warranty plus 1 point for each additional 5 years.

Felt Underlayments

The quantity of reclaimed materials as a percentage of the finished asphalt felt is approximately 45%. Of this recycled raw material, 50% is post-consumer, 35% post-industrial and 15% pre-consumer.

Organic Shingles

Shingles may be made with either organic or fiberglass mats. Organic shingles, manufactured from organic felts as described above (though of heavier grade), are saturated and coated with a blend of oxidized asphalt / filler and imbedded with UV protection granules. Light colour granule surfaces absorb less energy from the sun and, therefore, reduce the heat island effect.

WOOD FIBRE SHEATHINGS

The company produces a range of wood fibre sheathing products used as components in the building envelope. All wood fibre sheathings are composed of cellulosic materials. The sourcing of the cellulosic raw material is 85% post-industrial, 10% from recyclers of wood materials and 5% pre-consumer.

No VOCs, formaldehyde, CFC, HCFC, Pentane or other blowing agents are used in the manufacturing of wood fibre panels.

Wood fibre panels impact positively on the environment by contributing to more energy efficient exterior walls. BP wood fibre insulation panels have an R3 per inch thermal resistance value. The Company?s composite acoustical panel Enermax has an aluminum facer and has been tested to add R4.7 to the exterior wall when its installation includes an air space between the aluminum facer and the dry wall.

Certain BP products / systems permit even more energy savings by facilitating the improvement of the air tightness of the building envelope. Excel II (exterior sheathing faced with an air barrier coating) and Enermax (the aluminum facer is both vapor and air barrier) -used individually or in combination - yield very efficient air barrier performance levels.

ECO-ENERGY PROGRAMS

Energy Star for New Homes, Canada

The company?s products (in particular Excel II and Enermax) are currently being used in Energy Star building projects. BP is currently working with building consultants to determine the best and most efficient wall assemblies to meet the Version 3.0 Technical Specifications for the Energy Star for New Homes program. BP is in the process of obtaining permission to print the Energy Star logo on its Enermax panels.

Built Green Alberta

Excel II and Enermax are in the process of being listed in the Built Green Alberta products catalogue. Section 2-30 allows points for the percentage of recycled content; 1 point for a minimum of 40% and 2 points for a minimum of 50%, both Enermax and Excel II qualify for the maximum. Section IV Indoor Air Quality, 4-16 gives points for products containing low or zero formaldehyde; Enermax qualifies for the maximum 2 points.

LEED

BP insulation panels also qualify for points under the LEED program as follows:

1 point can be obtained with Enermax for Improved Acoustical Design
1 or 2 points in Section 2.1: Divert from Landfill, Enermax and Excel II qualify
1 or 2 points in Section 4.1: Recycled Content, Enermax and Excel II qualify

1 point in Section 4.4: Low Emitting Materials, Enermax and Excel II qualify

CONCLUSION:

Building Products of Canada is currently updating its Environmental Policy. This update will reflect its increasing preoccupation with the whole spectrum of environment, energy and waste management as these pertain to its operations and to the materials it produces for sale. This preoccupation underscores the Company?s belief that its comprehensive approach makes for good corporate citizenship as well as good business.