Burnaby’s GR Green Building Materials Inc. has developed a proprietary process for producing ‘green’, carbon positive, roofing and siding materials that don’t crack when nailed, look remarkably like real cedar and slate, are fire-proof, impact-resistant and cost a fraction of the real thing.
By ensuring nothing is wasted and considering the impact of a product’s life cycle on the environment and people’s lives, GR goes beyond sustainability, to environmental responsibility in manufacturing. GR’s ‘GreenBuilding’ Cedar and Slate products are non-toxic, carbon positive and 100% recyclable, after 50 years of use.
Owners Geoff Wensel and Robert Suggitt are engineers and know plastics, construction, and manufacturing. In 2005, using a regular oven and a rolling pin, they invented a process that produces ‘green’ roofing and siding materials like nothing else on the market. Three and a half years later, they’re ready to launch full-scale production in the spring of 2009.