2021 Owens Corning Sustainability Report | Expanding Our Product Handprint | Circular Economy | 92 SPEAKING OF SUSTAINABILITY With his long-standing interest in reducing waste and inefficiency, Robb Camm immediately recognized the circular economy model’s potential to be a game-changer, and how it can reshape the ways we design, innovate, and manufacture. Robb is a roofing asphalt sustainability scientist based at our Science & Technology Center in Granville, Ohio, U.S., and he actively seeks ways to integrate the principles of the circular economy as he develops innovations for our Roofing business, including end-of-life solutions for shingle waste. Robb shares his philosophies regarding the circular economy, as well as the challenges we face on the way to progress. Photo courtesy of Robert Camm On the comprehensive nature of the circular economy A true circular economy to me is a system or process that is regenerative in nature from start to finish. That includes employing renewable energy in production, creating products from recycled material feedstocks, and then ensuring the products are easily regenerated or reused as opposed to being wasted. It’s not only about using recycled material to produce consumer goods, but engineering innovative products that can be harvested for reuse or recycling. On the gravity of the situation and the role of Owens Corning The modern form of our human ancestors evolved around 200,000 years ago, and we have managed as a species to knock this planet out of balance just within the past approximately two hundred years, marked by the beginning of the industrial revolution. It makes me sad to know that generations before me started this process, and I want to belong to a generation that helps break that trend. Furthermore, Owens Corning has employees in over 30 countries, so its reach is large, and its impact is equally as big — global in scope, but human in scale. Owens Corning has the potential and can truly make a measurable difference in this specific branch of sustainability. On the progress we’ve made and the road ahead We’re talking about things that are not going to change overnight. It’s a long game to play. Honestly, one of the hardest parts for me was wanting immediate results. I definitely had to come to terms with the fact that shingle recycling and reuse have been explored by Owens Corning scientists and engineers for years. The difference is we now have some tools and newer technologies to help us answer questions or solve problems that we didn’t have before. It took decades for us to be able to get to a point where we can study this with high impact, and it’s going to take more than just a few years of my time to make sure that we’re doing it correctly and that we’re implementing it in a way that contributes to the circular economy. It’s also not just a problem for Owens Corning. Every company and every household have roles to play — because every bit of sustainability matters. Owens Corning has the potential to truly make a measurable difference. ” “ Robert Camm Roofing Asphalt Sustainability Scientist