Green and Sustainable Products and green products on the rise
There’s a growing trend for manufacturers to introduce more sustainable, environmentally friendly and green products in the building and landscaping industry.
The team at Melbourne Brick have supported these green, sustainable products for many years.
Yet we’ve also found that just because someone uses the term green or sustainable, doesn’t necessarily mean what it says.
There is a term called greenwashing that some companies use to try and convince people their products are sustainable. You don’t have to go much further than the recent debates around plastic bags to see this, some companies selling ‘green’ plastic bags for homes which are claimed to be degradable but still break down into small plastic pieces which can damage the environment and end up in the bellies of marine life.
Therefore, we make a promise to you to be clear in the description of our products and to give you simple information which describes the green or sustainable qualities of a product so you can make your own judgement as to whether this meets your needs and goals.
Let’s talk about some examples of products we have to illustrate the range of ‘green’.
Green Acid Replacement is an amazing product that has very strong green credentials and is one we highly recommend. This product is used to clean bricks. The old method was to use sulphuric acid which is both dangerous and disastrous for the environment. There are no doubts about the green value of this product.
GuardIT – sustainable cleaning
Sustainable Products for the Future is a Global Greentag certified range of Bricks, Blocks, Pavers and Retaining walls manufactured by Island Block & Paving. The products are made with approximately 40% coloured recycled glass aggregates which replace the quantity of quarried products used. This product range has a very strong impact on the environment as landfill is reduced. A nice side benefit is the beauty created by the light sparking off the glass fragments in the product.
Freestone Eco-Mist Exposed Finish
Permeable Pavers are not all necessarily manufactured as a ‘green’ product. But they do have some benefits for the environment in helping homeowners and councils manage stormwater runoff and can filter some pollutants from this runoff. So they have a green benefit beyond their manufacturing.
Finally, let’s talk about environmental benefits over the life of a product. Whilst bricks may use energy in their manufacture, they are considered to be a highly sustainable product because they last for such a long time, require very little maintenance and create environmentally efficient buildings that don’t use as much heating and cooling.
Our team are well versed in the environmental benefits of various products and can help you choose the right product for your project. Our green range carries our own umbrella brand to identify products in this green range and to make things simple for you. It also carries the following codes.
A – green products used in manufacture
B – a green alternative for cleaning and maintenance
C – green benefits over life of use
D – green certified by a peak body for this product/range
Increasingly councils, governments, builders and architects are turning to us to select these green products for their projects in order to meet various construction standards imposed by regulations.
We see a growing use of green, sustainable and environmentally friendly products through new home construction, landscaping and renovation.
Talk to us about the options. Visit our stores to view all these products.