WHY BRICK?
Abundant Raw Materials - Boral® bricks are made from two of the most abundant natural materials on the
planet: clay and shale.
Earth-friendly Harvesting - Both clay and shale are harvested from the earth by a process that has minimal
long-term environmental effects on the land. Most clay mining sites are reclaimed as wetlands or parks.
An Unsurpassed Life Cycle - Bricks are long-lasting, completely recyclable and biodegradable.
Energy Efficient - Brick construction provides the advantages of thermal mass, holding temperatures constant
longer than other materials, resulting in interior environments with greater energy efficiency.
WHY BORAL?
Alternative Fuel Sources - Our newest state-of-the-art plants siphon methane gas from landfills, while many
of our plants use renewable fuel resources such as wood-waste materials.
Better Manufacturing Processes - Boral goes beyond compliance to further reduce waste and minimize adverse
environmental effects.
Wider Distribution Network - Our 21 strategically placed manufacturing plants significantly reduce
transportation costs and fuel consumption.
BORAL® IS THE INDUSTRY LEADER IN SUSTAINABLE MANUFACTURING.
Boral® bricks are natural products that are extremely well-suited for construction projects planned with
the principals of sustainable design.
Boral’s fundamental objectives of sustainable design, sometimes described as green building, include:
- Reducing the negative effects of building on the environment
- Reducing the consumption of non-renewable resources
- Minimizing waste
- Creating healthy, productive environments
- Contributing to the health and comfort of building occupants
- Improving building performance overall
BORAL® BRICKS MEETS SUSTAINABLE DESIGN GOALS.
Selecting natural materials, such as Boral® brick products, provides environmental advantages for virtually
any building project. Brick is composed of mineral elements that stand the test of time without harming the environment as they age.
Brick is an ideal choice for architects and builders working to achieve the goals of sustainable design. Brick meets the following
standards incorporated in the philosophy of sustainable design:
Brick does not emit volatile organic compounds (VOCs) or formaldehyde.
It is a durable, low-maintenance material.
It can be salvaged from existing or demolished buildings for re-use.
Brick is made using natural resources.
Brick has low “embodied energy” (the energy required to produce and transport materials).
Brick does not contain CFCs, HCFCs, or other ozone-depleting substances.
Brick does not contain highly toxic compounds, and the production of brick does not result in highly toxic by-products.
Brick creates, very little waste when it is manufactured or recycled.
Brick can be obtained from local resources and manufacturers, which means less energy is consumed to transport materials to the job site.
Brick is completely recyclable, either whole for re-use in new projects, or crushed for roadway sub-base or permanent mulch in landscaping.
Brick can also be ground to manufacture new brick.
Brick is biodegradable.
ALTERNATIVE FUELS.
The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency requires large landfills to capture their methane emissions and either burn them off in a safe,
environmentally responsible way, or find alternative uses for these emissions. Many scientists believe that methane emissions contribute
to man-made global warming. If not burned as fuel, methane is four times more problematic as a greenhouse gas.
The 165,000-square-foot Boral Bricks manufacturing facility in Union City, Oklahoma, which opened in March of 2006, is fueled using a
combination of methane and natural gas. Methane is a clean-burning gas that is produced during the decomposition of plant, animal
waste and garbage.
The methane used to fuel the Union City plant is captured from a landfill managed by the Oklahoma Environmental Management Authority.
Boral made a $2 million investment to develop 20 wells at the landfill to collect the methane gas. The methane is then piped two miles
to the brick manufacturing facility, where it is used as an energy source for the production of Boral® Bricks. By recycling methane as
an energy resource, Boral has relieved the Union City landfill of the challenging responsibility of methane gas disposal.
As a leading U.S. company committed to cutting-edge, energy-conscience fuel alternatives for manufacturing, Boral broke ground on a
second methane-fueled facility November 1, 2006. The site of the facility, located in Terre Haute, Indiana, was selected specifically
because of it’s proximity to two landfills; the Victory Landfill and Sycamore Ridge Landfill.
Methane will be piped from these nearby landfills to supply energy needs for the plant, which is scheduled to open in December of 2007.
By using methane to fuel the plant, an otherwise precarious gas is consumed in the production of a usable product. The methane produced
by the landfills can provide enough fuel to power the brick facility for 25 years.
USING NATURAL MATERIALS
Boral® brick products are manufactured from two of the most abundant natural materials on the planet – clay and shale.
The raw materials that Boral uses to produce brick are surface-mined in a way that causes minimal long-term impact to the environment.
These are materials that, over the course of centuries, can be used again and again, or can be broken down without harm and returned to
the earth. There is effectively no waste and the land at extraction locations is reclaimed according to federal and state guidelines,
which often includes replanting with trees or lake development.
And, unlike other building materials, brick creates little waste when it is manufactured. Mining one pound of clay produces nearly
one pound of brick with only slight moisture and mineral loss.
Additionally, at some Boral facilities, brick is produced with a combination of clay, shale and recycled wood waste materials.
The wood waste is burned away during the firing process, which results in lighter weight brick that can be as much as 20 percent
lighter than traditional brick, without sacrificing the integrity of the brick. These lighter brick have enhanced insulating properties
and are also more fuel-efficient to transport. The Boral Bricks facility in Augusta, Georgia manufactures the largest-selling brick in
the United States, which is manufactured with this process.