USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode X (UL Type ULIX) were named by BuildingGreen as one of the Top 10 Green Building Products for 2020. These annual awards recognize innovations in the building industry that positively contribute to sustainability and climate change now and in the years ahead.

“Our industry reputation is built on more than 100 years of innovating to solve our customers’ biggest challenges,” said Brian Tauke, general manager for wallboard at USG. “Sheetrock EcoSmart Panels are one example of how we’re addressing the architectural community’s desire for more sustainable building materials, while also delivering speed and ease of installation to contractors.”

USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode X represent a revolution in wallboard manufacturing, significantly reducing the Environmental Product Declaration impact categories of global warming potential, photochemical ozone creation potential and abiotic depletion potential— fossil fuels. The panels use up to 25 percent less water to manufacture, reduce associated greenhouse gas emissions by up to 25 percent, and because they’re up to 22 percent lighter than standard Type X and 28 percent lighter than Type C, more can be transported on fewer trucks, saving transportation fossil fuel.

Beyond their environmental benefits, USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels Firecode X can also be used as an alternative for much heavier, more expensive Type C panels in walls, columns, and floor and roof-ceilings. Not only does this simplify jobsite stocking and reduce the chance for misapplication, it also promotes greater worker safety and productivity.

The panels are UL Greenguard Gold certified for low emissions, LBC Red List free, contain 100 percent USDA certified biobased content, have a LEED v4 compliant Type III EPD and v2.1 Health Product Declaration, and are the only gypsum panels that meet the Architecture 2030 Challenge for Products with a lower carbon footprint.

BuildingGreen honored USG at the annual Greenbuild Expo in Atlanta, Ga. on November 20. Its Top 10 Green Building Products awards identify products that significantly improve upon standard “business-as-usual” practices, reducing energy consumption and carbon emissions, improving product life cycles, and as having a net-positive impact on society and the environment.

For more information on USG Sheetrock Brand EcoSmart Panels, visit usg.com/eco.