Going Carbon Neutral – The Latest Climate Active Initiative by Brickworks

Brickworks has released a new Climate Active carbon neutral offering. With the ambition of carving out a more sustainable future for the building industry, the company is inviting all architects, developers and commercial builders to apply for complimentary carbon offsets for products, specifically on projects that demonstrate climate sensitive design.

Protecting and preserving the environment has always been a top priority for Brickworks. “We know that the construction industry accounts for almost 40% of global greenhouse gas emissions; 28% of that is directly from buildings and the remainder is to do with upfront carbon from building materials,” explains Bonnie Herring, Breathe Director of Architecture and Sustainability. Brickworks is committed to implementing sustainable building practices industry-wide and, as an extension of its first carbon neutral offering, the company is now proposing a new initiative, ‘Go Carbon Neutral with Brickworks’, which is applicable to all clay brick and paver products made locally in Australia.

Brickworks achieved a second Climate Active Certification for the opt-in program that gives industry professionals the chance to indicate and obtain any clay brick or paver made in Brickworks Australian factories as a carbon neutral product.

Three leading Australian architectural practices – Breathe, SJB, and WOWOWA – have aligned with the ‘Go Carbon Neutral with Brickworks’ initiative. “We saw it imperative that we became carbon neutral and got certified,” says Tristan Wong, SJB Director. “There’s a growing market for people wanting to live more sustainably,” he explains. The likeminded convergence is the first of many pledges Brickworks has made in crafting a sustainable future for all. “I think, as humans, we really need a reminder to engage with the earth in a more meaningful way,” muses Monique Woodward, WOWOWA Director. “I’d say that there’s a communal and a global consequence for not engaging with these things.”

The first carbon neutral offering by Brickworks began in Tasmania with Austral Bricks becoming the first manufacturing site in Australia to offer certified carbon neutral bricks. From this, Brickworks achieved a second Climate Active Certification for the opt-in program that gives industry professionals the chance to indicate and obtain any clay brick or paver made in Brickworks Australian factories as a carbon neutral product. “When we have a carbon neutral option – materials that have Climate Active Certification – it gives us more choice in terms of colour and texture to meet site specific requirements,” explains Bonnie. “The carbon neutral offer by Brickworks is fantastic because it now offers architects even more appealing reasons to go down that pathway of much more sustainable designs,” agrees Tristan.

Three leading Australian architectural practices – Breathe, SJB, and WOWOWA – have aligned with the ‘Go Carbon Neutral with Brickworks’ initiative.

To attain the Climate Active Certification, Brickworks worked with Energetics to conduct a complete carbon audit of all national processes. As a result, a carbon calculator was developed for each brick and paver product, allowing Brickworks to determine the amount of carbon associated with the project, where pre-purchased carbon credits would offset this amount. “We will definitely be running all of our projects through that process,” says Monique, “because choosing carbon neutral bricks just gives clients peace of mind.”

Low-maintenance and durable, brick is sustainable and hard-wearing. “Building materials ought to be selected for their overall performance and their beauty; bricks really add a lot of character to our buildings,” Bonnie says. “You can have a lot of freedom with what you can create,” adds Tristan. The latest carbon neutral initiative by Brickworks means that not only will bricks last for decades, be recycled and reused, neither fade nor rust with the climate, but they are now one of the most efficient and beneficial materials on the market when it comes to sustainability. “Bricks are forever,” says Monique. “There’s a longevity there that’s really important.”

The latest Climate Active carbon neutral offering is the first of many steps for Brickworks in its quest for creating a sustainable building industry. As part of the Climate Active initiative, Brickworks invites architects, developers and commercial builders working on climate sensitive designs to apply for complimentary carbon offsets for products.