As the world starts to move beyond the pandemic, the need for resilience has taken the main stage in many critical sectors including construction. The construction industry is one of the largest industries in the world, contributing significantly to economic growth and employment.
However, it has a significant impact on climate change and accounts for 38 per cent of total global emissions according to the World Green Building Council. These emissions come from various sources, including the production of building materials, transportation of construction materials and equipment, construction activities, and the operation of buildings.
A significant contributor to the construction sector is the brick industry, providing building materials for a wide range of structures. However, worldwide, billions of rudimentary kilns typically use coal for brick-firing purposes and contribute to 20 per cent of the world’s black carbon emissions. Around 90 per cent of this production is in South Asia, and in some South Asian cities, these kilns are responsible for up to 90 per cent of the particulate matter emissions.
The brick industry in South Asia has been growing at an alarming rate, primarily driven by the construction boom in urban centres. In countries such as India, Bangladesh, and Nepal, the brick industry has become one of the largest sources of greenhouse gas emissions, second only to the energy sector. The impact of the brick industry on the environment, including the Himalayas, has been significant and far-reaching.
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Since the Himalayas play a critical role in the ecological, social, and economic systems of South Asia, air pollution poses a significant threat to the region’s well-being. The impact of climate change due to these emissions is causing glaciers to melt, leading to flash floods, landslides, and other natural disasters in the Himalayas. The warming of the Himalayan region is also leading to the migration of animal species and the destruction of their habitats, further resulting in the loss of biodiversity.
The brick industry’s impact on air quality is also severe. The brick kilns’ emissions contribute to the deterioration of air quality, leading to respiratory diseases and other health problems. For instance, in addition to thousands of deaths due to air pollution in the brick sector, the economic costs on public health in Nepal only per year are about US$46 million.
Brick kilns burning coal are also adding further pressure on the energy security of countries like Nepal which have a low domestic fuel reserve. Nearly 73 per cent of the total coal consumed in the country is imported (largely from India, Indonesia, and the US). According to the World Bank, Nepalese kilns burn about 1 million tons of coal per year and, owing to the increase in demand, coal consumption is increasing.
The brick industry’s impact on the social fabric of South Asian societies is also significant. The industry is responsible for the widespread exploitation of labour, including child labour and forced labour. The industry’s reliance on traditional kilns is often at the expense of worker safety and health, leading to widespread health problems, including respiratory diseases and skin disorders.
The brick industry is an essential source of employment in South Asia, providing jobs to millions of people. However, the industry’s impact on the economy is not always positive. The industry’s reliance on traditional kilns has led to inefficiencies in the production process, resulting in low productivity and high costs.
The high costs of production are ultimately passed on to consumers, making the final product expensive. The high cost of bricks has resulted in the widespread use of cheaper and low-quality materials, leading to the construction of unsafe buildings, which can collapse during earthquakes or other natural disasters.
As the demand for bricks increases with the growth of the construction industry, there is an urgent need for sustainable practices in the brick sector. Sector-wide solutions to transition to cleaner and more efficient technologies can help reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions and make the sector greener and more sustainable.
Innovative developments have taken place worldwide to successfully replace these traditional bricks with eco-friendly alternatives such as non-fired bricks, reducing greenhouse gas emissions (GHGs) while preserving the quality and strength of the material.
One of the most proven innovative alternative technologies hardens and cures bricks using soil stabilisers instead of firing, thereby avoiding coal or any fossil fuel consumption. An automated non-fired, eco-friendly brick is manufactured with three components: soil (90 per cent), cement (9.8 per cent) and soil stabiliser (0.2 per cent).
Advantages over traditional bricks manufacturing process
Reduced GHG emissions
The Good Bricks System (GBS) cuts the CO2 emissions down to one-third of the traditional brick kilns. It also eliminates deadly black carbon, sulfur oxides (SOx), nitrogen oxides (NOx), and various particulate matters (PMs) that are causing massive health issues and climate change issues in the Himalayan region.
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High productivity
The GBS process results in enhancing productivity by reducing the production time from 28 days to just five, allowing the manufacturer to produce bricks during the rainy season and at night since all processes can be done indoors under one roof.
Cheaper production process
On average, the production cost of soil-stabilised bricks is about 10-12 per cent lower than conventional bricks.
Reduced production and process losses
Anecdotal evidence suggests that the amount of production and process losses in conventional brick manufacturing is between 20-25 per cent. These losses can include factors such as waste in the clay preparation process, breakage of bricks during firing, bricks that do not meet quality standards, human errors, and inconsistent brick quality owing to uneven use of coal firing. In the case of GBS (Good Bricks System), these losses account for less than three per cent.
Better working conditions
Since Good Bricks manufacturing operates year-round, it eliminates the issue of seasonal migration and allows workers and their families to receive social benefits guaranteed by full-time employment further improving their working conditions.
The importance of sustainability in the brick sector cannot be overstated. Although such non-fired technologies exist on the ground, the implementation and adoption at a larger scale would require
- Participation of all stakeholders, including brick manufacturers, policymakers, consumers, and environmental groups
- Willingness to invest in such innovative sustainable solutions
By leveraging such innovative technologies, the brick sector can move towards a more sustainable and environmentally responsible future, benefiting both industry and the Himalayas.
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