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28 Jan
People within the construction industry are increasingly aware of the environmental impact their buildings have on the planet. This is important to everyone, and people should be aware from the initial design phase right through to the last person onsite.
It is important that people throughout the industry know what the impacts and implications are of the materials and methods used.
Slate is often seen as a carbon intensive material, giving high levels of CO2 and therefore having high environmental impact. In fact, for our Spanish slates, this couldn’t be further from the truth.
The creation of slates only requires the processes of quarrying and distribution, which has a lesser impact on the environment when compared to creating cement tiles, or extracting metals and other materials. For a 100m2 house, the equivalent of 6.2 tons of CO2 emissions can be saved when using natural slate compared to fibre cement tiles. For one roof, this is the same as the pollution caused by the average family car over 30,000km.
In addition to the CO2 impact of slate alternatives, water extraction and usage is an increasing concern for the environment. For a 100m2 roof, natural slate utilises around 65,000 litres, compared to 100,000 for fibre cement tiles and more than 6 times as much for zinc roofing, at 440,000 litres.
When you are looking for locally sourced slates, or re-used slates, the whole issue of environmental impact is heavily reduced. Of course, quarrying slates has a negative effect on the look of the landscape, but this pales in comparison to the heavy industry which is needed for alternatives.
With superior strength, lifespans longer than most buildings and little impact on the environment, slates are the perfect roofing material choice.