Quick Key Facts
- The United Nations has encouraged governments worldwide to rewild 2.47 billion acres of degraded land in the next several years.
- Rewilding isn’t just about adding back one or two species of plants and animals to an area; it’s about restoring and conserving whole ecosystems, from keystone species to soil, to allow them a chance to thrive.
- One of the greatest rewilding success stories of modern times is the reintroduction of gray wolves in Yellowstone National Park, which restored the balance of the entire ecosystem, from elk and deer to trees, riverbanks and songbirds.
- Of 730 ecoregions studied by scientists globally, less than 6% continue to have the extensive and intact communities of large mammals seen 500 years ago.
- According to researchers, 64% of the planet’s large carnivores that remain are facing extinction, with 80% declining.
- One study found that reintroducing 20 large mammals — 7 predator and 13 herbivore species, such as bison, brown bears, jaguars, wild horses, Eurasian beavers, reindeer, moose, elk, tigers, wolverines and hippos — can help biodiversity regenerate worldwide while also tackling the climate crisis.
- Of the 74 large herbivore species surviving globally that weigh 220 pounds or more, 59% are threatened with extinction.
- Soil that is covered in trees absorbs rainwater 67 times faster than grass-covered soil.
- Encouragingly, according to a 2020 study, 46% of lands that are not permanently covered in snow or ice have been found to have “low human influence.”
- Less than 1% of regions that were once dominated by tropical coniferous forests, temperate grasslands and tropical dry forests are classified as having a “very low” level of human influence.
What Is ‘Rewilding’?
It’s no secret that modern humans have ravaged the planet. We have decimated ecosystems to make way for monocrop agriculture, the raising of beef cattle and development. Ecosystems that had maintained a delicate balance for millions of years have been turned into ecological wastelands with cascading negative effects on biodiversity, humanity and essential biogeochemical processes like Earth’s water cycle.
Rewilding is the reversing of negative impacts on natural environments through the restoration and conservation of ecosystems, wilderness areas and their natural processes, and it is essential for the survival of most life on our planet.
Rewilding involves reintroducing native species and allowing nature to heal and nurture itself. Doing so can not only restore biodiversity, but it can protect endangered species, prevent flooding and help mitigate climate change.
Why Is Rewilding Important? Why Does It Matter?
Rewilding on both small and large scales provides and preserves natural habitats for plant and animal species. It can also mean added lands for wildlife corridors, improve species diversity, lower carbon dioxide emissions, improve air quality and carbon sequestration, help balance the water cycle, protect against excessive runoff and flooding and make environments more climate-change resilient.
Benefits of Rewilding
Restores Native Species and Ecosystems
Rewilding restores ecosystems by reestablishing the habitats of native plants and animals, thereby reinstating their food chains and rebuilding biodiversity.
Rewilding makes ecosystems stronger because those that have been rewilded have a tendency to become more resilient to climate change and environmental changes in general. Their complexity and diversity means they are better protected against invasive species, natural disasters and extreme weather, and tend to bounce back more quickly.
Improves Species Diversity and Protects Threatened and Endangered Species
When an environment is rewilded, keystone species — like wolves, bears, beavers and wildcats — are reintroduced. These animals are essential to the balance of an ecosystem; other animals, as well as plants, rely on them, and if they are removed, drastic ecosystem changes, or even collapse, can occur.
Many keystone species — such as mountain gorillas, jaguars, gray wolves, black rhinos, California condors, humpback whales and ivory tree coral — are threatened or endangered. Reintroducing them through rewilding efforts can boost their numbers and give them a chance to bounce back. And since other plants and animals rely on keystone species, their reintroduction contributes to enhanced species diversity.
A herd of bison at Custer State Park, Black Hills, South Dakota on July 16, 2013. Charles (Chuck) Peterson / Flickr
Rewilding can also involve the reintroduction of species that have been driven out by development or have died off in particular ecosystems due to lack of resources or loss of habitat, thereby effectively “plugging crucial gaps” in particular ecosystems.
Supports Biodiversity
When biodiversity is restored to a region through rewilding, natural ecosystem functions are also reinstated, such as seed dispersal, species predation and nutrient cycling. All of these activities bring back the natural balance to the affected area and beyond.
Improves Trophic Cascades
Trophic cascades occur when top predators in the food chain are lost, leading to indirect interactions between species that can result in powerful effects on whole ecosystems.
Human activities like agriculture, deforestation and poaching, as well as human-caused climate change, have resulted in the decline and sometimes extinction of important predators.
When rewilding efforts reintroduce crucial species like these to a region, they can have positive influences on their habitats, with reverberations throughout the food chain and ecosystem that can help reestablish a natural balance.
Adds to the Patchwork of Lands for Wildlife Corridors
Wildlife corridors are essential for giving species — particularly large mammals like wolves, bears and big cats — the extensive ranges they need to find adequate resources and mates. Rehabilitating and preserving wild spaces through rewilding can add to the network of wildlands these animals need to survive.
Helps Balance the Water Cycle & Improves Water Quality
Earth’s water cycle — which began approximately 3.8 billion years ago — is the process of water evaporating from the planet’s surface, rising into the atmosphere, condensing into precipitation in clouds and falling back onto land or into waterways and the ocean. The water collects in lakes, rivers, porous rock layers and soils, with much of it flowing back into the ocean to evaporate again.
The water cycle is impacted by many forms of human manipulation of the planet, including deforestation, irrigation and global heating, which contributes to marine heat waves, the melting of Arctic sea ice, sea level rise and ocean acidification.
All of these destructive activities can be healed by rewilding. Rewilding can rehabilitate underwater habitats, in addition to deforested landscapes and those that have been scarred or destroyed by human development, while mitigating global heating and climate change.
By rewilding rivers and removing dams, species like salmon can be allowed to recover, which benefits their predators — including bears, a keystone species — as well as the overall balance of the ecosystem. River rewilding can also help prevent the hydrological extremes that can lead to flooding or stresses from low water flow — like abnormal temperature fluctuations — and cause lower oxygen levels and algal blooms, which have the potential to affect species and water quality.
Restores Healthy Ecosystems That Act as Buffers During Natural Disasters
Over time, ecosystems develop a natural balance between their plant and mammal inhabitants and the air, water and soil. When these ecosystems are degraded or destroyed, they lose their ability to protect against natural disasters. Rewilded ecosystems provide a built-in defense against flooding, drought and wildfires.
When it rains, a forest’s tree and plant roots absorb excess rainwater, while the tree canopy keeps the ground from becoming saturated all at once. These actions mitigate runoff and flooding by preventing rainwater from rushing over the land and into streams or rivers. This also prevents soil from washing into waterways and creating sediment buildup. And if the soil contains pesticides or other toxic chemicals, they are less likely to end up in the water supply.
According to Mossy Earth, soil that is covered in trees absorbs rainwater 67 times faster than grass-covered soil. Tree roots also anchor soil in place, preventing severe erosion and landslides during heavy rain.
By contrast, water stored in forest soil can be released during dry periods, providing moisture and clean water in times of drought.
Healthy ecosystems containing bodies of water, snow, ice, broadleaf forest, grassland corridors or sparse plant growth can also provide natural fire breaks or buffers that can slow down or block the spread of wildfires.
Reintroducing large grazing herbivores can also create sparse patches of vegetation in the landscape, providing natural firebreaks.
Helps Mitigate Climate Change
Human activities are directly responsible for climate change because they produce the greenhouse gas emissions — released when humans burn fossil fuels like oil, gas and coal for energy — that are responsible for global warming. Rewilding can rebalance ecosystems, whose plants, trees and soils absorb and sequester carbon emissions, helping to improve air quality and regulate the climate.
Opens Up Opportunities for Rewilding Tourism
Restoring natural ecosystems provides an opportunity for communities that have traditionally relied on the land for agriculture and cattle farming to share their unique environments with others through rewilding and ecotourism.
This allows travelers who are mindful of their impact on the planet to visit places that have been restored, which brings in revenue for the local community while supporting an economy based on living in harmony with nature rather than overusing or destroying it.
Provides Mental and Physical Benefits for Humans
The physical and mental benefits to humans of spending time surrounded by nature have been well documented. By rewilding and preserving natural habitats, we open up more places for us to enjoy their healing rewards.
Challenges to Rewilding
Land Availability
In a 2020 study, three of four spatial assessments found that, of Earth’s land that is not permanently covered in snow or ice, 46% has had “low human influence.” This means that roughly half of Earth’s non-snow- or ice-covered surface remains relatively untouched.
Nations meeting at the COP15 United Nations Biodiversity Conference in 2022 agreed upon the Kunming-Montreal Global biodiversity framework, which included a goal of conserving 30% of the planet’s lands and oceans by 2030.
However, current land use and availability of lands are two of the biggest obstacles to rewilding. Much of developed land is being used for agriculture, housing and commercial and leisure activities. For social, cultural and economic reasons, rewilding these lands faces resistance.
This makes it all the more important to use regenerative agricultural practices — as well as to create urban spaces that are more pollinator and wildlife friendly — in regions that were once dominated by tropical coniferous forests, temperate grasslands and tropical dry forests, as less than 1% of these lands are classified as having a “very low” level of human influence.
Policy Barriers
There are many existing policies that can frustrate rewilding efforts, such as regulations of “dangerous and wild animals”; policies regarding access to the countryside; agricultural policy; and energy policies that find renewable energy developments like wind turbines to be inconsistent with wildlands. In some cases, land that was available for potential rewilding is instead awarded to lucrative wind energy projects.
Public Acceptance
While most people agree that a thriving environment provides benefits for everyone, rewilding is not always readily accepted by farmers, who sometimes have concerns about loss of their traditional practices as well as economic effects. Some farmers are also fearful of how the reintroduction of keystone species like wolves may affect the animals they keep.
However, while some changes and uncertainty may have to be accepted in the short term, rewilding is the best option to mitigate the much broader and longer lasting effects of climate breakdown caused by the removal of keystone species and the degradation of our wildlands.
Funding
The funding of rewilding initiatives involves a host of sometimes creative revenue sources. These can include the use of carbon offset funds; government grants; farmers being paid to rewild their land; businesses providing financing for “biodiversity net gain” — land management or development that has a goal of leaving the environment in a state that is measurably better than before; corporate sponsorships; public donations, including apps that allow people to donate funds to rewilding projects while also informing them as to their progress; ecotourism; and public-private partnerships.
Successful Rewilding Efforts Around the World
There have been many successful rewilding efforts around the world — here are two examples.
Reintroduction of Gray Wolves to Yellowstone National Park
One of the greatest rewilding success stories in history was the reintroduction of gray wolves to Yellowstone National Park after a nearly 70-year absence. As a keystone species, wolves played such a crucial role in the ecosystem that their disappearance was felt in the air, skies, water and trees of the park.
The last of Yellowstone’s wolf packs was eradicated by employees of the massive 3,472-square-mile park in 1926, with the idea of eliminating all its resident predators. Bears and cougars were also removed, and the result was an illustration of just how important every member of an ecosystem — from soil microbes to large mammals — is to its balance.
First, populations of elk exploded, which led to aspens and willows becoming overgrazed. The loss of these trees resulted in beavers being unable to build their dams because of riverbank erosion, a decrease in songbirds and a rise in water temperatures, which affected coldwater fish.
Then, in 1995, Yellowstone welcomed back 14 individual wolves from Canada, who right away began to restore the damaged ecosystem. Elk and deer populations were brought down, which allowed trees to bounce back. This stabilized riverbanks, and songbirds were heard once again. Other animals like eagles, foxes and badgers also returned, further adding to the robust biodiversity of the country’s first national park.
Reintroduction of the Eurasian Beaver to the United Kingdom
Once a familiar sight in Asia and Europe, the Eurasian beaver was hunted to extinction by the 16th century in many countries, including the UK.
Starting in 2021, beavers were reintroduced in the UK’s Isle of Wight, Derbyshire, Dorset, Montgomeryshire, South Down and Nottinghamshire. The results have been tremendous in restoring populations to their native habitats.
Their presence has served to reduce water flow, leading to a decrease in the effects of flooding by as much as 60%. Beaver dams also remove and sequester carbon, as their fashioned wetlands promote new plant growth, creating valuable carbon sinks.
What Can We Do to Support Rewilding?
As a Society?
Rewilding is a set of actions that humans need to embrace in order to restore ecosystems and biodiversity to their once healthy states. The concept of rewilding is unfamiliar to many people, so talking about it more often and in-depth, as well as discussing what we can do as a society to facilitate it, is important for making rewilding a more familiar and frequent reality.
Encourage leaders and policymakers to include rewilding in their agendas and support those who do.
In Our Own Lives?
Each patch of Earth is a microcosm of an ecosystem made up of soil, minerals and nutrients that supports plants and insects and is most likely inhabited by larger species like rodents, birds and mammals. Everyone who has access to any amount of land to the extent that they are able to rewild it can take steps to improve soil quality and plant native flowers — including those that attract pollinators — trees, shrubs and ferns that will be beneficial for a myriad of species.
This relatively small but important act of rewilding will improve and expand the functioning and biodiversity of your local ecosystem, as well as provide habitat, food and shelter for traveling species like birds who may be passing through.
It will also provide you with abundant opportunities to observe native wildlife from your window, porch or garden.
Another way to help with local rewilding efforts is to contact policymakers and encourage them to establish pollinator gardens or rewild unused lands — even land next to or on medians of a highway or road can be rewilded or, at the very least, left alone to grow and replenish itself.
You can also volunteer with a local conservation organization or wildlife trust, help plant native species with a community group or nonprofit or even start a community garden with your neighbors.
Whatever you do to support rewilding efforts in your local area will help rehabilitate habitat and encourage wildlife to return to land that was once theirs too.
Takeaway
Ecosystems are like a beautiful piece of music being played by an orchestra with many instruments, each vital to its harmony. Humans have learned through destructive actions that removing keystone species we have deemed predatory and dangerous leads to trophic cascades with devastating effects to ecosystems and biodiversity. Destroying rainforests to make way for crops like palm oil and soybeans and continuing to burn fossil fuels are just some of the other actions humans continue to take that are tipping the balance against healthy ecosystems and climate stabilization.
Instead, we have a responsibility to restore once-wild lands to their healthy and balanced states through rewilding and conservation. Rewilding is an integral part of the set of actions — including using vastly less land for industrial agriculture and cattle ranching, while changing our diets from meat-based to more plant-based foods and slashing plastics production and waste — that we must take to combat global heating and curb the climate crisis.
The post Rewilding 101: Everything You Need to Know appeared first on EcoWatch.
https://www.ecowatch.com/rewilding-facts-ecowatch.html
This week’s quote is from author, philosopher, and Nobel laureate Albert Camus: “Man is the only creature who refuses to be what he is.” Let’s accept our humanity and take responsibility for the damage that our actions have caused our planet and the other creatures that live here.
Earth911 inspirations. Post them, share your desire to help people think of the planet first, every day. Click the poster to get a larger image.
Editor’s Note: This poster was originally published on March 6, 2020.
The post Earth911 Inspiration: Accepting Our Humanity appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/inspire/earth911-inspiration-accepting-our-humanity-albert-camus/
Last Updated on March 4, 2026
Not every lotion is created equal. If you read the ingredients list on conventional lotion, there will likely be many ingredients you can’t even pronounce.
While this doesn’t necessarily mean danger, it should make you question what’s in your skincare products.
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links; for more information please see my disclosure policy.
Skin is the largest organ. It’s our body’s first line of defense against pathogens and environmental hazards, so what we put on it matters.
That’s why I’ve curated a list of non toxic lotions your skin (and the planet) will love.
what ingredients should I avoid in lotions?
You should avoid ingredients like parabens, phthalates, fragrance, and mineral oil in lotions.
Here’s a break down of why:
- Parabens: Used to preserve lotions but can disrupt hormones and have been linked to breast cancer.
- Phthalates: Used to make fragrances last longer in lotions but can disrupt the endocrine system and have been linked to reproductive problems.
- Fragrance: Tends to be artificial and the word ‘fragrance’ can entail a cocktail of hundreds of chemicals linked to triggering allergies.
- Mineral oil: Used to create a protective barrier to lock in moisture but is petroleum based and may clog pores.
Instead, look for natural, organic ingredients that you can pronounce or research with ease. Ingredients like aloe vera, jojoba oil, and cocoa butter are just a few great places to start.
EWG’s Skin Deep database lets you search brands, products and ingredients, scoring them by hazard (10 being the worst).
how can I tell if a lotion is truly non-toxic?
To tell if a lotion is truly non-toxic, you’ll have to read the ingredients label. It’s also important to understand just because it has natural ingredients, doesn’t mean you can’t have an allergic reaction.
For example, many people love coconut oil, a natural ingredient, but some people are allergic to it and cannot use any product that contains it.
You also want to look for brands that utilize organic, plant-based ingredients and have certifications. For example, being EWG Verified or MADE SAFE means it was third party tested, which ensures better quality ingredients were used.
But beyond ingredients, it’s equally important to look at packaging. Avoiding single-use plastic as much as possible is ideal.
Endocrine Disrupting Chemicals (EDCs) have been found in many plastic products. Microplastics have also been found in our blood, feces, and even placentas. Always prioritize lotions with low waste or refillable packaging when possible.
what is the most non-toxic body lotion?
The most non-toxic body lotions are listed below. None of the brands listed here use fragrance, parabens, or other harsh chemicals. And many offer plastic-free and/or refillable packaging.
I’ve gone ahead and highlighted some of my favorite features of each brand, but it isn’t an exhaustive list. Be sure to check out their websites for more information.
1. osea
- Lightweight body lotion
- Made using sustainably harvested undaria seeweed
- Visibly firms skin in just 4 hours
- Comes in a glass bottle
- Fragrance-free option available
- Alcohol-free, gluten-free, paraben-free
- Vegan + cruelty-free
2. attitude
- Liquid body lotion
- Made using +98% naturally sourced ingredients
- 4 distinct scents + unscented available
- Options for sensitive skin + pregnancy
- Vegan + cruelty-free
3. ecoroots
- Solid lotion bar
- Comes in a metal tin
- Natural, coconut or lavender scent
- Refillable
- Parabens, silicones + phthalates-free
- Vegan + cruelty-free
4. public goods
- Liquid lotion
- Refillable
- Scented with eucalyptus, mint, citrus + soft woods
- Free from parabens, phthalates, + synthetic fragrance
- Made in Canada
5. plaine products
- Liquid lotion
- Made with an aloe vera base
- Rosemary mint vanilla, citrus lavender or unscented options
- Free of sulfates, parabens, phthalates, silicone, + synthetic fragrances
- Refillable
- Comes in an aluminum can
- Vegan + cruelty-free
6. the good fill
- Liquid lotion
- Shea butter lotion (thicker) + sweet pea lotion (lighter) options
- Made with certified organic ingredients
- Refillable + refill pouches can be returned
- Vegan + cruelty-free
7. meow meow tweet
- Liquid lotion
- Made with certified organic ingredients
- Aloe-rose based, formulated for sensitive skin
- Comes in an aluminum bottle
- Reuse or return pump to them for recycling
- Vegan + cruelty-free
8. upcircle
- Liquid lotion
- Made using 99% natural ingredients
- Comes in a glass bottle
- Doubles as hand lotion
- Vegan + cruelty-free
So, what do you think of these non toxic lotion options? Let me know in the comments!
The post 8 Best Non Toxic Lotion Options For Smooth Skin appeared first on Going Zero Waste.
For most people, buying a new roof is one of the most important and expensive maintenance decisions for their biggest investment. For many homeowners, the cheapest option is the default choice, while others choose a style they like and leave the details to a contractor.
It’s not always easy to find out who makes your roofing material. It can be even harder to find out if they recycle or work to minimize their environmental impact. But the impact of our roofing choices, both on our homes and on the environment, is too great to ignore.
We’ve researched roofing materials and manufacturers to make it easier to buy an eco-friendly roof. Our results are far from comprehensive, but as more consumers begin to demand this information, more manufacturers will begin to provide it. When they do, we’ll update our sustainable roofing results.
Materials
This article looks at the pros and cons of the most common manufactured roofing materials. We don’t include natural roofing materials in the comparison chart since they aren’t manufactured.
Asphalt Shingle
Asphalt is the most affordable roofing option. It’s so common that when people talk about roofing, they often mean asphalt shingles. About 75% of single-family homes in the U.S. have them.
Laminate shingles (also called architectural or dimensional) are fiberglass layered between asphalt and ceramic granules. They can be made to look like more expensive materials, such as tile, wood, and slate. Although slightly more expensive than basic three-tab asphalt shingles, laminate shingles perform better. Single-plane shingle roofs (also called 3-tab) are the easiest roofs to retrofit with a solar panel system. Several asphalt tile manufacturers offer solar-compatible or solar-integrated asphalt roofs.
Asphalt roofs usually last 20 to 25 years, but some newer, high-quality ones can last 40 years or more. While asphalt shingles can technically be recycled, most still end up in landfills. The shingles recycler, GAF, report that over 13 million tons of asphalt shingles are removed from U.S. roofs each year, and less than 10% are recycled. The rest go to landfills, where they can take 300 to 400 years to break down.
On the bright side, shingle-to-shingle recycling is improving, with CertainTeed’s RenuCore technology and GAF’s RoofCycle process helping to create more circular options for asphalt shingles.
Wood Shingle and Shake
Handmade wood shakes are valued for their natural appearance and are known for being expensive. However, machine-made wood shingles cost only a bit more than asphalt. Wood shingles can develop mold, split, or rot in damp climates.
Untreated wood shakes don’t have a fire safety rating, so many places with wildfire risk don’t allow them. Fire retardants can help wood shingles and shakes reach a Class B fire rating, and adding extra materials to the roof can help them meet Class A standards. Chemically treated shingles can’t be composted. Even with these issues, wood roofs can last 25 to 30 years, and with careful upkeep in mild climates, they may last up to 50 years.
Getting wood shingles or shakes from a local sawmill cuts down on greenhouse gas emissions from transport and ensures the wood species fits your region. Whether you buy locally or from a national brand, look for FSC-certified wood.
Metal
Metal roofing options include steel, aluminum, copper, and alloy strips. They come in various shapes and textures, from standing seam panels to shingles that resemble tile or slate. Metal can be more expensive than asphalt, but, except for copper, it remains among the more affordable long-term roofing options when lifecycle costs are considered. Proper installation and good insulation are required to minimize noise from rainfall and wind “chatter.” Metal is lightweight, virtually fireproof (Class A fire rating), and particularly suited to solar panel systems. Metal roofs last 40 to 70 years or more, and they are the most easily recycled roofing material, as metal is 100% recyclable at end of its useful life as roofing.
Tile
Tile roofs are common on Mission and Spanish-style homes in the western and southwestern U.S. While they’re often found in desert areas, some tiles, like Ludowici’s that meet ASTM C1167 frost-resistance standards, can be used in cold climates too. Roof tiles can be made from terracotta clay, ceramic, or concrete. Tile roofs are heavy and may need extra framing. Concrete tiles cost less than clay but offer many of the same benefits. Clay tile roofs can last 50 to 100 years or more, while concrete tiles usually last 40 to 50 years.
Slate
Slate roofs are heavy enough to require extra framing. As arguably the most expensive roofing material, they are not an option for most budgets. But they are also nearly indestructible, with a lifespan of 50 to 100 years or more. Be aware of the origin of the slate that will be used, as the sustainability and durability can vary. Because slate is so heavy, the distance slate tiles must be shipped will significantly affect not only the cost but the environmental impact of choosing this natural material.
Synthetic Roofing
Synthetic roofing can be made from materials like plastic, clay, rubber, or asphalt, and is often designed to look like natural materials such as slate or wood. Thermoplastic polyolefin (TPO) single-ply roofing, usually used on flat or low-slope roofs, is still one of the top-rated cool roofing products. GenTite offers TPO for homes, and Westlake Royal Building Products’ DaVinci roofing provides composite slate and shake roofing as lighter and more affordable alternatives to natural materials.
Not many synthetic materials have been around long enough to know how they’ll perform over time. Still, some show promise, with strong performance ratings and 50-year warranties. Synthetic roofs could be a good choice for those willing to research, but we haven’t included them in our manufactured roofing comparison below.
Roofing Rating Criteria
When reviewing sustainable roofing, we consider a variety of factors, including warranties and certifications.
Longevity
The lifespan of your roof is largely determined by the material you choose. Slate roofing has the longest average lifespan, and wood or 3-tab asphalt shingles have the shortest. However, individual products can be manufactured to higher standards, so a very good asphalt roof may last as long as an average metal one. For our comparison of manufactured roofs, we started with metal roofs ranked highest, followed by tile, then asphalt. Then we modified the manufacturers’ rankings based on warranties.
Energy Efficiency
The radiative properties of roofing materials are solar reflectance and thermal emittance. Both are rated on a scale of 0 to 1, where 1 is the most reflective or emissive. The Cool Roof Rating Council (CRRC) maintains the Rated Products Directory, which is now the primary standard for evaluating roof energy performance since the ENERGY STAR roofing program ended in June 2022.
According to the U.S. Department of Energy, a reflective cool roof can stay more than 50°F cooler than a conventional roof under the same conditions. Cool roofs can reduce cooling energy costs by 7–15% or more, minimize temperature fluctuations inside the home, and reduce the urban heat island effect. In our comparison, we focused on manufacturers whose products are rated by the CRRC and have high solar reflectance values. Keep in mind that even top manufacturers make some products that don’t meet cool roof standards.
You can install solar panels on almost any roof, but we gave higher rankings to manufacturers that offer solar-integrated or solar-compatible roofing systems.
Recycling Practices
All of the roofing materials we considered are technically recyclable. However, in practice, many homeowners have trouble finding local recycling options — particularly for asphalt shingles. When ranking manufacturers, we considered their use of recycled materials, their recycling practices in production facilities, and their circular-economy initiatives.
Federal Tax Incentives
The One Big Beautiful Bill Act, signed July 4, 2025, accelerated the phase-out of the Section 25C Energy Efficient Home Improvement Credit included in the Inflation Reduction Act. The original expiration was the end of 2032, but the new expiration date was December 31, 2025. Homeowners who had qualifying cool roof products installed and operational by December 31, 2025 can still claim the credit on their 2025 tax return.
Comparison Chart
Meet the Manufacturers
Malarkey
The family-founded Malarkey Roofing Products, established in Oregon in 1956 and now a member of Holcim Building Envelope, continues to lead the industry in sustainable shingle innovation. All Malarkey shingles include 3M Smog-Reducing Granules that use photocatalytic technology to convert nitrogen dioxide (NO₂) into water-soluble nitrate salts, actively reducing air pollution. Each average-sized roof has a smog-fighting effect equivalent to planting approximately two trees, according to data from Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and 3M.
Malarkey’s proprietary NEX® Polymer Modified (Rubberized) Asphalt incorporates upcycled rubber from tires and post-consumer plastics into the shingle asphalt, diverting waste from landfills while improving durability. Their 2024 Sustainability Report noted cumulative totals of approximately 6.8 million upcycled rubber tires and 4.5 billion upcycled plastic bags diverted from landfills. All three Malarkey manufacturing facilities are GreenCircle Certified for both Recycled Product Content and Waste Diversion from Landfill.
Ludowici
Ludowici has been making clay tiles from locally sourced materials harvested within six miles of the plant, since 1888. They offer a 75-year warranty on standard products, with an expected lifespan of more than a century. Many of Ludowici’s 58 standard colors provide a Solar Reflective Index (SRI) greater than 39, making them an energy-efficient option without limiting design choices.
Although the standard product uses 3% post-industrial recycled materials, the Ludo360 product line uses 40% recycled material from clay scrap, shale, and waste. Ludowici’s manufacturing process generates no waste, and all products are 100% recyclable, either reused as vintage roofing or crushed for construction fill and filter applications.
Interlock Metal Roof Systems
Interlock specializes in aluminum metal roofing systems manufactured in Delta, British Columbia. Their variety of profiles — including slate, cedar shingle, shake, Mediterranean tile, and standing seam — includes solar-compatible bracket systems. The company suggests you’ll “Never Re-Roof Again,” and Interlock backs its products with a Lifetime Limited Warranty that is transferable to a second homeowner as a 50-year non-prorated warranty.
Interlock roofing panels contain up to 95% recycled aluminum and are 100% recyclable at end of life. The proprietary Alunar® Cool Roof Coating System reflects heat to reduce cooling costs by up to 25%. Interlock roofing was selected for the SPOT MODULE Project, which supports the South Pole Overland Traverse in Antarctica.
CertainTeed (Saint-Gobain)
CertainTeed, a subsidiary of Saint-Gobain (the worldwide leader in light and sustainable construction), operates more than 60 manufacturing facilities in North America. The company makes more than 300 residential roofing products, primarily asphalt but also metal roof tiles that resemble clay, slate, and shake. Warranties range from 10 years to lifetime depending on the product.
CertainTeed’s CoolStar granule technology yields CRRC-rated products. They also offer a solar-integrated roofing system. A major recent development is RenuCore™, a patented technology that pelletizes both post-industrial and post-consumer asphalt shingle waste for reuse in hot mix asphalt paving — a meaningful step toward circular economy practices for asphalt roofing. Saint-Gobain’s broader sustainability commitment includes a goal of net-zero carbon emissions by 2050, and a 49% reduction in landfill waste was recently achieved at the Shreveport, Louisiana roofing facility.
Westlake Royal Roofing
In 2021, Westlake Chemical Corporation acquired Boral North America’s building products businesses, and in January 2022, launched the unified Westlake Royal Building Products brand, bringing together the former Boral roofing lines with Royal Building Products and DaVinci Roofscapes. The former Boral brands were rebranded as follows: US Tile (premium clay), Newpoint Concrete Tile Roofing (formerly Boral Concrete), Unified Steel Stone Coated Roofing (formerly Boral Steel), and DaVinci Roofscapes (composite slate and shake). Westlake Royal also offers its own integrated roofing components line including high-performance underlayments like SwiftGuard and the Sol-R-Skin BLUE radiant barrier.
US Tile’s clay products carry a 50-year warranty and contain up to 59% recycled raw materials, and they are 100% recyclable at end of life. Westlake Royal’s clay tiles retain the Cradle to Cradle certification earned under Boral. All clay and concrete tiles carry a Class A fire rating, and select tiles include Class 3 or 4 hail impact ratings. Multiple products are CRRC-rated with cool roof–qualifying color options.
DaVinci Roofscapes composite tiles offer Class A fire, Class 4 impact, and 110 mph wind ratings with a Lifetime Limited Material Warranty, positioning them as a durable alternative to natural slate and cedar shake without the weight or maintenance.
Eagle Roofing Products
Eagle Roofing Products is the concrete tile division of family-owned Burlingame Industries. Concrete tiles do not have the life expectancy of natural clay but are still likely to outlive their 25-year warranty. They match clay’s high solar reflectance values, and when installed with a sheathing ventilation system, can reduce heat transfer into the attic by almost 50% compared to an asphalt shingle roof.
Eagle’s standard tiles contain 2.5% recycled content; their lightweight products are made from 65% recycled material. Eagle has taken environmentally-minded steps in manufacturing, including reducing electricity usage and selecting vegetable- or water-based chemicals. Concrete tiles are heavy, so proximity to manufacturing matters: Eagle’s plants are in Rialto and Stockton, California; Phoenix, Arizona; and Sumterville, Florida.
Berridge
Berridge Manufacturing Company, in business for more than 50 years, specializes in architectural sheet metal products, including roofing, selling directly to architects and contractors. Their watertightness warranty is 20 years (when installed by a Certified Applicator), and the expected lifespan of a Berridge metal roof is 40 to 70 years or more.
The company’s products contain roughly one-third recycled materials and feature advanced Kynar 500® and Hylar 5000® PVDF coatings that resist fading and chalking while reflecting solar radiation, contributing to energy savings and supporting LEED certification goals. Berridge’s 11 manufacturing facilities are concentrated in Texas and the South, though metal sheets are less carbon-intensive to ship than heavier materials like tile.
Tamko
Tamko is a family-owned business and one of the largest roofing manufacturers in America, specializing in asphalt shingle. They offer CRRC-rated products and a limited lifetime warranty on their shingles.
What’s Changed Since 2019
Since this guide was first published, several important changes have affected the world of sustainable roofing:
ENERGY STAR for roofing has been discontinued. The EPA’s ENERGY STAR certification program for roofing products officially ended in June 2022. The CRRC Rated Products Directory is now the standard for evaluating roof product reflectance and emittance. Builders, utilities, and code officials should reference CRRC ratings. The underlying reflectance thresholds (≥0.25 for steep-slope, ≥0.65 for low-slope) still serve as useful benchmarks.
Circular economy gains momentum. The asphalt shingle industry is making real progress on closing the loop. Saint-Gobain/CertainTeed launched RenuCore™, a shingle-to-paving recycling technology. GAF developed its patented RoofCycle™ process, which can use approximately 90% of collected shingle waste to manufacture new shingles, and has committed more than $100 million to scale the technology. Still, with over 13 million tons of shingle waste generated annually and less than 10% recycled, much work remains.
Cool roof science strengthened. Research published in Urban Sustainability found that city-wide adoption of cool roofs could reduce building HVAC energy consumption by 15–35% in current climates and even more dramatically under future warming scenarios, reinforcing the value of reflective roofing choices.
Editor’s Note: This article, originally published on April 8, 2019, and written by Gemma Alexander, was updated in February 2026 to include the latest manufacturer details, new sustainability information, and an updated comparison chart.
The post Sustainable Roofing Buyer’s Guide: 2026 Update appeared first on Earth911.
https://earth911.com/how-and-buy/sustainable-roofing-buyers-guide/
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