What exactly do we mean by the phrase ‘carbon footprint’?
In its simplest terms, a carbon footprint is the sum total of greenhouse gas emissions caused by an organisation, event, product or person. Greenhouse gases are emitted through a variety of sources including roads, transport, land activity, manufactured goods, materials, buildings and services.
For ease of comparison and reporting, carbon footprint is often stated in terms of the amount of carbon dioxide (or CO2) emitted through the combustion of fossil fuels.
So how does all this relate to your roof?
Your roof’s carbon footprint is made up from the sum of its components including the production of the raw materials, delivery to the factory, manufacture, distribution and installation.
Carbon footprint also relates to the performance of your roof once installed, and consideration must be given as to what will happen at the end of your roof’s natural life, for example, whether the materials are suitable for recycling. It is also judged on its ability to utilise renewable sources of energy such as rain, wind, or solar power.
The ‘greenest’ roofs (and therefore the most eco-friendly), are those which impact least on the environment in terms of their construction and ongoing performance.
Taking natural slate as an example, the raw materials themselves are excavated from the earth. However, up to 95 per cent of the excavated material ends up as waste because it is not suitable for purpose. Another important consideration is that these customary roofing materials often travel thousands of miles before reaching their final destination, impacting harshly on our natural environment.
The fact is, these types of traditional roofing materials cannot compete with modern recyclable tiling products in terms of eco-friendliness. As you would expect, roof tiles which are recyclable and which use low-energy production methods, require short transportation in terms of miles and offer a long and useful life, score highest in the ‘green’ stakes
As well as being popular with building professionals because of their ease of installation, owners of recyclable roofs love them for their maintenance-free qualities, exceptional design standards and visual appeal, as well the savings they make on their utility bills.
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