As we all know, it’s becoming increasingly important for everyone to try and reduce their carbon footprint as much as possible to help limit global warming… and the good news is that there’s a lot that can be achieved in this regard, particularly for homeowners looking to reduce their carbon emissions.
The built environment has a significant footprint and it’s expected that building stock around the world will double in line with population growth, with the global population expected to hit ten billion by the middle of the century.
Figures from the World Green Building Council show that carbon emissions that are released before buildings are used – known as upfront carbon – will make up half of the entire carbon footprint of new construction between now and 2050, with buildings currently accountable for 39 per cent of global energy-related carbon emissions.
Some 28 per cent of this comes from operational emissions and the other 11 per cent from materials and construction work.
For householders, material choice can help make a big dent in this carbon footprint, so it’s certainly worth taking the time to research your options and find the most sustainable products available.
Interestingly, a new composite decking material has just been developed that stores more CO2 than is needed for its manufacture, which means we now have a carbon-negative product that is less expensive than standard composite decking and meets stringent building standards.
Typical composite decking is made from a blend of plastic (like high-density polyethylene) and either sawdust or woodchip. This material is a popular choice because it’s more durable than timber and more resistant to UV light, but they can be made even more sustainable by using certain waste products as fillers.
This is the case with this new material, with the team of scientists using brown coal and lignin (which is left over from the papermaking process), according to the American Chemical Society.
Not only are these boards 18 per cent cheaper than standard composite decking, but they also store more CO2 than is produced during their manufacture and lifetime, according to project lead David Heldebrandt from the Pacific Northwest Laboratory.
Apparently, if all the decking used in the US each year was replaced with this new material, 250,000 tonnes of CO2 could be sequestered each year… the equivalent to the annual emissions of an impressive 54,000 cars!