The construction industry consumes roughly half of virgin resources globally and accounts for nearly 40% of the world’s solid waste streams. This makes it a key sector when it comes to waste reduction and keeping materials in use for as long as possible and at their highest value.  

For SMAC, circularity was a key factor before starting the bottling plant renovation project in Prahecq, France. Due to the large volume of stone wool waste, it was even more important for SMAC to divert it from landfill by using the available recycling solution. 

During the removal of 12,000 m² of insulation, the stone wool was sorted and stored separately before being collected. It was then loaded onto trucks that were on site anyway to deliver new products and taken back to ROCKWOOL’s factory making the reverse logistics as efficient as possible. 

The initiative at the SMAC Poitou-Charentes site was part of their overall ESG (Environmental, social, and governance) strategy. At SMAC, sorting, recycling, and maintaining value of usable materials presents significant challenges, but this project shows that it is possible for individual waste streams and can be replicated across sites.  

Another circular initiative was the collection and reuse of the wood pallets.

In a circular economy, products and materials should circulate for as long as possible, at their highest value and without losing their quality or performance. This is one of the core principles of circularity

ROCKWOOL has been taking back material from the market for several decades, and Rockcycle has since its inception been expanded significantly. In 2024, Rockcycle was available in 24 countries with a goal to reach 30 countries by 2030. In 2024, ROCKWOOL recycled more than 4,000 tonnes of stone wool from French sites, while globally, that figured reached more than 59,000 tonnes of stone wool.