From January 1st 2023 the total end-to-end carbon emissions of every Krause Bricks order is 100% offset.
Krause Bricks is the first Australian brick manufacturer to offer full carbon neutrality on every order across our full range of products.
The process of producing more sustainable and environmentally conscious clay products has been ongoing for over 75 years at Krause Bricks. We acknowledge the environmental impact of our manufactured products and continue to make operational improvements to minimise our impact.
Carbon footprint assessment
In 2022, with the assistance of Resource Intelligence, Krause Bricks proactively undertook a highly detailed self-assessment of our entire manufacturing operations. The process involved a full assessment and quantification of the carbon footprint of our business, with the ultimate objective of being able to offer our customers a fully carbon neutral product range.
As part of this process with Resource Intelligence, we forensically calculate the total carbon intensity factor of the brick manufacturing and supply activities undertaken by Krause Bricks in the 2020-21 Financial Year. This comprised of the total greenhouse gas emission sources that are associated with the brick product through its entire lifecycle, from the initial sourcing of raw materials, through to the firing of the bricks and final delivery to the customer. The audits considered not only the production of our product, but all aspects of our operations, down to electricity used to power our office and the vehicles our staff use to get to and from work.
As part of the full lifecycle assessment, the downstream emissions created in the end-of-life phase of our product were also included in the calculation of our total carbon footprint.
The assessment concluded that we currently produce 0.44 Tonnes of CO2-e per Tonne of brick product sold. This gives us a solid baseline for future decarbonisation initiatives and, more immediately, has also allowed us to voluntarily enter into a carbon offset purchase equating to our entire annual emissions.
Carbon offset purchase
To offset the emissions produced by our production and operations, we have partnered with Greenfleet, a leading not-for-profit environmental organisation that has planted 10 million trees in over 500 forests across Australia and New Zealand since 1997. These forests will capture more than 4 million tonnes of CO2-e over their lifetime, while providing critical habitat for our native species. Greenfleet also ensures that their forests are legally protected for up to 100 years so that they can grow to their full potential and have a long-term, positive impact on our climate and planet.
Specifically, our carbon offset will be concentrated on the Faraday reforestation project in Dja Dja Wurrung Country of Central Victoria, one of several hundred native biodiverse forest regeneration projects established across Australia by Greenfleet over the last 25 years.
As well as delivering climate action, this forest will also build and extend habitat for species such as the Squirrel Glider, Regent Honeyeater and Brush-tailed Phascogale. Some of the species already found on the site that will benefit from this revegetation work include Kangaroos Corellas and Sulphur Crested Cockatoos.
An ongoing commitment to Carbon Neutrality
At Krause Bricks, we are encouraged to see increasing industry-wide recognition of the environmental impact of brick production, and are proud to be taking a leading proactive position in addressing this. We are committed to the continual assessment and refinement of our operations to reduce the carbon footprint of our products and deliver product-based carbon neutrality.
So, if carbon neutrality forms part of your values, get in touch to see how we can help drive the sustainable metrics of your project up, whilst continuing to support local manufacturing and enhancing the environment.
For more information on Krause Bricks and Carbon Neutrality, please contact us at [email protected] or on 03 5358 1262.
Further reading:
https://www.greenfleet.com.au/our-impact
https://plana.earth/academy/what-is-difference-between-carbon-neutral-net-zero-climate-positive