WHY NATURAL STONE?
We take a deeper look into why Natural Stone is the best building material available.
A SUSTAINABLE MATERIAL.
Information on this page is provided courtesy of the Natural Stone Institute and Use Natural Stone. Links to the original notations can be found at the end of this page.
Artificial building products like precast concrete, porcelain, engineered quartz, and sintered surfaces are made to imitate authentic natural stone products. Technology has allowed these products to look very similar and even lower cost upfront. However, they can’t imitate everything. Natural stone ensures durability, longevity, and aesthetics for generations to come. Not to mention, it is the most sustainable building material available.
The push to reduce CO2 emissions and our overall environmental footprint can be seen across almost every industry in our world today. The construction industry accounts for a major part of our total global emissions, so it is necessary that we use sustainable materials to reduce emissions and the overall impact that construction has on our environment. Natural stones are The Sustainable Building Material and here is why.
WHY NATURAL STONE?
Natural stone is one of the only building materials on this planet that is complete in its natural state. All other highly-processed materials like pre-cast concrete, engineered quartz, sintered surfaces, and porcelain go through extreme processes and waste an extraordinary amount of energy to become a useable material. Charts provided by the Natural Stone Institute, break down the process of each material from its raw state to finished product and its global warming potential. Take notice of the number of steps, materials, and transportation involved in each product compared to natural stone.
As you can see, sustainability is a major reason why people are choosing natural stone over other materials, but what else does it offer that other materials don’t?
Longevity: Natural Stones have been around for hundreds of millions of years and still uphold their beautiful aesthetic properties. The composition of natural stone is made to withstand all elements and will outlast processed materials with both interior and exterior applications. Processed materials will fail over time and need to be replaced - making Natural Stone more cost-effective as time goes on.
Recyclable: Natural stones can be restored after years of use and still look brand new. Natural stone is also reusable similar to reclaimed woods - making for beautiful rustic projects.
Low Maintenance: Once installed, Natural Stone requires little or no maintenance and remains aesthetically pleasing a beautifully functional for generations. (Example: The Stone Arch Bridge in Minnesota was built in 1881 and is being restored now - that’s 141 years of use!)
Versatility: Natural Stone is one of the most versatile building materials available for indoor and outdoor use. It can be used for cladding, paving, fireplaces, countertops, landscapes, bathrooms, and much more!
LOCAL STONE.
When you are searching for your Natural Stone it is best to go with something domestic or even local. Transporting stone can quickly drive up its environmental impact and Co2 emissions. For example, if you are getting your stone from ~ 1000 miles away you will increase its GWP by around 2000%. If you are getting your stone from a location that is ~10,000 miles away you will increase its GWP by 5000%. These two examples show just how quickly your stone can become an “unsustainable” building material. So please, stay local, and stay sustainable.
Information on this page is provided courtesy of the Natural Stone Institute and Use Natural Stone.
Global Warming Potential (GWP) Of Building Materials
Chart compares the Global Warming Potential (expressed as kg CO2 eq) of the product manufacturing phase (A1-A3) documented in the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) results published within Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs) for a variety of products. Data averaged when multiple EPDs were used. All functional units converted to 1 ton.
Natural Stone Process
Precast Concrete Process
Porcelain Process
Engineered Quartz Process
Sintered Surfaces Process
