The Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program was honored recently with the 2015 Top Product of the Year Award by the Environmental Leader news Web site.

The award, which recognizes excellence in products that improve environmental and energy performance, was presented as part of the third annual Environmental Leader Product and Project Awards. The award winners were selected by an expert panel of 25 judges from the energy and environmental fields.

“A real step in the right direction for reuse/recovery of building materials,” the judges said of the Ceiling Recycling Program. “This is what the circular economy is all about and should be a case study for others to see how it fits for their industries/products.”

The Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program enables commercial building owners and contractors to ship discarded ceiling panels from demolition and renovation sites to the nearest Armstrong manufacturing plant as an alternative to landfill disposal. The reclaimed ceiling panels are used to manufacture new ceiling products through a closed-loop process.

Since the Ceiling Recycling Program began in 1999, Armstrong has recycled more than 173 million square feet of used commercial ceiling panels. This represents more than 86,500 tons of construction waste that has been diverted from landfills. For more information on the Armstrong Ceiling Recycling Program, visit www.armstrong.com/recycling.

Environmental Leader, a news Web site published by Business Sector Media, LLC, of Fort Collins, Colo., provides energy, environmental and sustainability news to corporate executives. For more information about Environmental Leader, visit www.environmentalleader.com.

Armstrong World Industries is a global leader in the design and manufacture of ceilings and floors. In 2014, Armstrong’s consolidated net sales from continuing operations totaled approximately $2.5 billion.