Marking the company's ninth year of dedicated recycling efforts, DaVinci Roofscapes has now reprocessed more than 8,000,000 pounds of polymer scrap materials. The announcement comes in conjunction with Earth Day 2021, a focus on restoring our earth.

“In 2020 alone we reprocessed more than 1.1 million pounds of scrap materials," says Bryan Ward, vice president of operations at DaVinci Roofscapes in Lenexa, Kan. “This recycled polymer product went into the making of slate and shake starter shingles and other accessory parts for our customers' homes."

The DaVinci Roofscapes facility has achieved net zero landfill scrap for four consecutive years. Every pound of scrap generated by the company's expansive manufacturing operations goes into repurposed product.

“This is our way of life," says Ward. “We continuously invest in green initiatives from both a personnel and capital expenditures standpoint. We're particularly pleased that our process engineers have developed innovative tooling to mold accessory parts that use only our reprocessed scrap."

Where Does Polymer Scrap Come From?

A manufacturer of both polymer roofing and siding tiles, DaVinci Roofscapes uses virgin resins to make their products. An industry leader in color offerings, the company has 27 unique color blends and more than 50 stock colors.

“After we finish 'running' a color of product, there's a transitioning period between colors," says Ward. “Those transition tiles are 'off spec' and cannot be used."

The transition tiles are carefully pulled off the product line and segregated into specifically colored scrap bins by employees. The tiles are then ground up and repurposed into starter tiles, which are generally not seen on a roof.

“This is a true win-win for our company and the environment," says Ward. “With 100 percent of our materials being used or reused, we have net zero landfill scrap."

Zero Waste at DaVinci

DaVinci slate and shake tiles are made of virgin resins, UV and thermal stabilizers. A highly-specialized fire retardant is added to the mix, making them fire-resistant. DaVinci products are warranted to last for decades on homes and commercial projects. However, after their lifespan, they are also 100 percent recyclable.

“We always stop each year to mark Earth Day on April 22nd," says Ward. “It's a time to reflect on all the positive accomplishments our team achieves every day at our facility. Imagine what eight million pounds of scrap polymer would look like in a landfill. It's mind boggling to imagine we have repurposed such a vast amount of waste product.

“It's a significant part of our ongoing legacy at DaVinci that we have developed the processes to completely eliminate waste from our operations. This is definitely a source of both pride and awe at our company."

FOR THE 25TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR

Westlake Corporation announced it recently notified 98 college-bound students of employees in the United States and Canada that they are recipients of a Westlake Scholarship beginning the fall term of 2021.
 

This annual award of scholarships continues Westlake's on-going support of the higher education endeavors for high school students of company employees. Scholarships are generally renewable for up to four years of undergraduate study provided the student maintains specific high academic standards.​
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Joel Gray, Westlake's Vice President of Human Resources stated in describing this year's applicants, “For the 25th consecutive year we are pleased to recognize and reward high-achieving college-bound students of our employees.  We believe this important tradition has a positive impact in our communities and our workplace.  The competition for these scholarships is consistently strong and the applicants are some of the most outstanding students in each of the communities in which we operate.  The average recipient for 2021 has a GPA of 3.86 and ranks in the top 15% of their senior class. Moreover, many of these scholars have made significant contributions through numerous volunteer and civic activities.  We congratulate the students and their parents for the significant accomplishments in the classroom and the communities in which they live."

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Business Focus magazine recently spoke with Erik Keracik, Vice President of Polyethylene, about Westlake's growth, sustainability efforts, and innovative customer solutions. Click Here to read about how Westlake has continued to grow over the past 35 years in such a dynamic industry.