Responsible Sourcing

Local manufacturing of masonry products and local sourcing of raw materials means that there is a good chain of custody and UK regulations on environmental performance applies to all stages of the supply chain.   Examples of commitment, progress and achievements in the aircrete, and concrete block sector are presented below, and a similar list is available for clay brick production.

• All aircrete and concrete block manufacturers, members of APA and CBA, are signatories of the Precast Industry Sustainability Charter and committed to 14 different sustainability principles and 16 sustainability targets to 2020.

• Over 90% of aircrete and concrete blocks manufactured by members of APA and CBA come from sites covered by ISO 14001.

• Over 74% of precast concrete manufactured by members of British Precast (including aircrete and concrete blocks) is responsibly sourced, with 100% of aircrete manufactured in GB being BES6001.

• Less than 1.18 kg per tonne of precast concrete factory waste goes to landfill, the rest is either recycled and reused into the product or used in other applications.

• On average, secondary content (aggregates or otherwise) reaches around 21% of a precast product’s total weight. However, that percentage is generally higher with concrete blocks and can reach up to 70% for some types of blocks.

• All types of concrete blocks are fully recyclable at the end-of-life.

• Some concrete blocks can carbonate fully during or after the end of its service life, leading to significant reduction to its carbon footprint.

Concrete blocks form a major part of the Precast industry Resource Efficiency Action Plan (REAP).