While sustainability is becoming commonplace in the construction industry, Daniele Torricelli, Director of Engineering at Corobrik believes this should form an integral part of a company’s ethos.
“Sustainability doesn’t just make sense from a business perspective, it is the social and environmental responsibility of every organisation to incorporate this as part of the company ethos, and this is something Corobrik has never taken lightly,” Torricelli explains. Sustainability forms an important component of Corobrik’s business, “From the creation of our bricks to the actual nature of the brick itself, sustainability is key. There has been significant investment made in reducing our carbon footprint and we will continue to adapt as newer technology becomes available.” The past decade has seen the company investing heavily in more sustainable equipment including advanced extrusion technology at most of its factory. The technology reduces energy consumption while also increasing the brick’s fundamental integrity as a weather proof and structural building material, further benefitting the consumer.Turning to technology
New robotics introduced at Corobrik’s Rietvlei, Lawley and East Brick factories allow for flexibility in production, lowering the demand on the energy grid during peak hours.Further to this, the consistent gaps in the setting pattern achieved by the robotics results in easy access of heat during the drying and firing processes, optimising the amount of energy needed for brick production.
Corobrik’s conversion from a coal fired kiln to a natural gas fired kiln, at its Lawley Factory, has resulted in reduced emissions earning its Lawley factory carbon credits for the effort. As it stands, five of Corobrik’s factories have attained ISO 14001 Environmental Management Systems.
