Australia’s first certified carbon neutral bricks have been launched by Brickworks Building Products.

Manufactured at Austral Bricks (Tasmania) Longford facility, they are the first certified carbon neutral bricks under the Australian Government’s National Carbon Offset Standard.

They include the range of bricks and pavers available from Austral Bricks (Tasmania) and Daniel Robertson.

The carbon neutral certification of the range of pavers and bricks manufactured at the operation near Launceston, Tasmania, is largely achieved by the use of a unique fuel for kiln firing. That fuel is sawdust, a biomass material and a byproduct of the local Tasmanian timber industry.

The company’s national energy and sustainability manager Steven Mouzakis said the use of low emissions biomass as opposed to fossil fuels is largely responsible for the plant’s low carbon dioxide emissions.

“Emissions from the biomass are just 215 tonnes per year, about the same as 12 average Australian households,” he said.

“In contrast, a conventional natural gas kiln of the same capacity could emit approximately 8,000 tonnes of greenhouse gases.”

Some of the Tasmania team in front of the sawdust stock pile The stockpile at the Tasmanian operation

The Australian Government’s voluntary Carbon Neutral Programme requires the measurement, auditing and reduction of greenhouse gas emissions and the offset of any remaining emissions.

The certification measures all emissions contributors such as raw material extraction, onsite transport, product deliveries across Australia and internationally, water usage, packaging, waste and business operations, not just kiln emissions.

“The successful carbon neutral certification has been partly achieved through a rigorous ongoing program of energy efficiency improvements to manufacturing and associated operations.” Mouzakis said.

All remaining greenhouse gas emissions are offset by purchasing carbon credits that assist in local Tasmanian projects such as tree planting under the Forests Alive program.

“We are totally committed to conserving our natural resources and becoming a low carbon emitter, while not compromising on the high quality of our products,” Mouzakis said.

Daniel Robertson house

Daniel Robertson house

David Wheeldon

Sawdust-fuel-fires-Australia-s-first-carbon-neutra-1732031904.png

Let’s connect!