An analysis has quantified how much carbon dioxide emissions can be prevented by using reclaimed clay bricks instead of new ones – and it’s a lot.
Sustainability consultancy Tunley Environmental undertook a comprehensive lifecycle assessment with an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) of clay bricks sold by Reclaimed Brick Company.
The study compared the global warming potential (GWP) of its reclaimed bricks with a historic UK brick industry average. It covers the emissions associated with sourcing materials, transportation to the manufacturer and preparing or manufacturing the bricks before they reach the building site, known technically as stages A1-A3.
For a typical house using 15,000 bricks, or around 30 tonnes, the analysis found the reclaimed clay brick had a negative GWP of -0.10 tonnes of carbon dioxide equivalent (tCO₂e), against the historic UK brick industry average of 6.39 tCO₂e.
The difference is around 6.49 tCO₂e, which is comparable to the emissions produced from using electricity to power an average home for around 20 years.
Using what already exists
New clay bricks require raw materials to be extracted, processed and fired at high temperatures. Reclaimed bricks have already been manufactured, so none of that applies.
Reclaimed Brick Company recovers, cleans, sorts and grades bricks for reuse. It says that in 2024, thanks to its business model, more than 1.6 million bricks were salvaged, cleaned and reused, diverting some 5,800 tonnes of material from landfill.
“Reclaimed bricks have always been valued for their history and character, but this work helps us clearly demonstrate their low-carbon advantage,” said Luke Clarke, director of Reclaimed Brick Company.
“It gives architects, developers and homeowners verified information they can use when selecting materials for their projects.”
Tunley Environmental said the study lets Reclaimed Brick Company promote its products with scientific evidence rather than “broad sustainability claims”.
“The results show the advantage of keeping an existing construction material in use,” said Dr Aaron Yeardley, Tunley Environmental’s science team co-lead.
“Reclaimed bricks avoid many of the emissions associated with extracting raw materials and manufacturing new bricks, while supporting a more circular approach to construction.”
