Brookland Sand and Aggregates operate in St Austell, Cornwall, producing sustainable sand and aggregate. These are generated from ‘Stent’, a by-product of Imerys’ China Clay extraction. The 11 materials extracted are used to make 70 blends, all used in construction. They are producers and suppliers of granite aggregates and sands suitable for paths, driveways, horse arenas and for general building uses and to the Ministry of Transports specification for highway works.

Brookland Sand and Aggregates contacted Carbon Sense as needed an assessment of their aggregates product life cycle, cradle-to-gate, to understand the emissions associated with each tonne of material they process. This was a vital need for their existing and new client base due to the increasing need and demand to measure and monitor impact of scope 3 supply chain and raw material emissions. They have found that this process previously was very costly and they needed cost effective answers and wanted to work with local consultants they could trust.

Following a site visit and tour, we were able to send out a comprehensive data collection template. This template enabled us to collect all necessary data around the process involved and asses the various machinery used to extract, crush, sort and weigh the material. They were all operating for different durations and had different fuel efficiencies. Using relevant emissions factors found from our research, we were able to calculate the CO2e (Carbon Dioxide Equivalent) produced for each machine per hour and per day.

Using a life cycle assessment (LCA) standard calculation format, this enabled us to calculate how much CO2e was produced for each tonne of material processed and sold. Numbers like this are incredibly important as they help us understand the environmental impact of a product or process. In additional, this assessment provides the data needed for an EPD (Environmental Product Declaration) which standardises this important information for current and future stakeholders.