How we recycle
At Derbigum, we’ve been recycling bituminous roofing membranes since 1990. What was once waste is now a valuable raw material. Our unique recycling process closes the loop: installation offcuts, production residues, and discarded membranes are transformed into new high-quality membranes.
The most advanced step? Novitumen®: a breakthrough technology based on 100% recycled bitumen.
Our recycling process
We recover bitumen from three sources:
- Installation offcuts from construction sites
- production waste
- old roofing membranes
These streams are collected, sorted and triple-ground into Derbitumen®: a pure, stable raw material used in new waterproofing membranes. This isn’t downcycling, it’s full reuse.
♻️ 1 kg of recycled material = 1 kg of Derbitumen® = 1 kg of new product
Smart return policy
Every flat roof project generates cutting waste. Thanks to our Mini Big Bag, any certified roofer can easily collect this waste and return it to an approved collection point.
For larger projects (>1,500 m²), we offer a take-back certificate: a written commitment to recycle the material at the end of the roof’s service life.
Closing the loop with Novitumen®
Novitumen® takes circularity to the next level. This cutting-edge technology reprocesses bitumen from old Derbigum roofs into new, high-performance membranes – without using virgin bitumen. It’s an innovation that completes the recycling loop: from roof to roof.
The advantages are concrete, measurable and proven:
- No more virgin bitumen
- Up to 85% less consumption of fossil raw materials*
- Made with recycled bitumen from old roofs and installation offcuts
- Same workability and expected service life as traditional roofing membranes
* According to a study conducted by the University of Liège in March 2025, entitled ‘Comparative Life Cycle Assessment – Influence of recycled content in the formulation of an underlay’, and carried out in accordance with standards ISO 14040/44:2006, ISO 14025:2006 and EN 15804+A2:2019. The study involved a comparative analysis of different production scenarios for a bituminous membrane incorporating various percentages of recycled materials. The functional unit considered is 1 m² of bituminous membrane, analysed from cradle to gate (A1-A2-A3).