Are Reclaimed Bricks Carbon Neutral?

Can Reclaimed Bricks Help Reduce Your Project’s Carbon Footprint?

In a construction industry increasingly focused on reducing carbon footprints and meeting net zero goals, the question of whether reclaimed bricks are carbon neutral is more relevant than ever. While "carbon neutral" can be a complex designation depending on lifecycle assessments, there’s no doubt that reclaimed bricks are among the most environmentally responsible choices available.

This article explores what it means for a material to be carbon neutral, how reclaimed bricks stack up against new ones, and how they contribute to sustainable building practices.

Understanding Carbon Neutrality in Construction

Carbon neutrality refers to achieving a balance between the greenhouse gases emitted and those removed from the atmosphere. For a material to be classed as carbon neutral, the emissions generated during its entire life cycle — extraction, manufacture, transport, installation, use, and end-of-life disposal — must be offset or eliminated.

In practice, few construction materials are truly carbon neutral without the aid of carbon offsetting schemes. But reclaimed bricks come remarkably close due to their reuse of existing material, which avoids many of the high-emission processes involved in producing new bricks.

Why New Bricks Are Carbon Intensive

Traditional brick manufacturing is resource-heavy and energy-intensive. It involves:

Mining and processing clay
High-temperature kiln firing (over 1,000°C)
Transportation from manufacturer to site

This process generates high embodied carbon — the total emissions created before a material reaches the site. A single new brick can carry an embodied carbon footprint of 0.2–0.3 kg CO₂e.

Multiplied over thousands of bricks used in typical construction, this has a significant impact on a project’s carbon tally.

How Reclaimed Bricks Cut Emissions

Reclaimed bricks are salvaged from demolished buildings, cleaned, sorted, and reused without requiring re-manufacturing. Their advantages include:

Zero extraction impact: No new clay is quarried.
No re-firing: Avoids energy-intensive kiln use.
Minimal processing: Only cleaning and stacking required.
Local sourcing: When bricks are reused regionally, transport emissions are reduced.

By skipping extraction and manufacturing, reclaimed bricks can reduce embodied carbon by up to 95% compared to new ones. This puts them among the lowest-impact masonry products available.

Are Reclaimed Bricks Officially Carbon Neutral?

Technically, no brick is inherently carbon neutral unless its carbon footprint is fully offset. However, reclaimed bricks are as close to carbon neutral as possible without offsetting due to their:

Extremely low embodied carbon
Reuse of existing material
Elimination of manufacturing emissions

Some environmental assessments or Life Cycle Analyses (LCAs) may award zero embodied carbon to reclaimed bricks when used in specific contexts — particularly when local sourcing is documented.

Reclaimed Bricks and BREEAM

Reclaimed bricks contribute to multiple BREEAM credit categories, including:

MAT01 (Life Cycle Impacts)
WST01 (Construction Waste Management)
MAN02 (Responsible Procurement)

Read: How Reclaimed Bricks Help Achieve BREEAM Certification

They also support circular economy and waste minimisation strategies.

Role in ESG Strategies

Reclaimed bricks can help developers and asset managers meet Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) targets by:

Demonstrating environmental stewardship
Aligning with responsible procurement policies
Supporting local heritage and reuse

Explore: How Reclaimed Bricks Can Boost a Project’s ESG Performance

Real Carbon Saving Projects

At Reclaimed Brick Company, we’ve supported a wide range of sustainable projects using reclaimed bricks. From retrofitting historic buildings to constructing eco-conscious garden rooms, clients consistently report: