Following a life cycle assessment, products from specialist UK drainage systems supplier Kijlstra can now be carbon neutral.
A report by carbon management consultants Carbon Clear has identified the carbon impact per tonne of manufactured standard and Vario (bespoke) precast concrete manholes and floor elements at each stage of the cradle to gate (manufacturing to supply to site) process.
This metric enables Kijlstra to measure its carbon footprint and offer to offset its emissions by supporting renewable energy projects in developing countries, in Kijlstra’s case hydropower projects which align well with Kijlstra’s work in the UK water sector as well as in energy and transport.
The report looked at the holistic manufacture of Kijlstra’s precast concrete products and associated elements (such as steel, rubber and adhesive) in terms of material extraction, pre-processing and production, and distribution to Kijlstra’s factory and their fabrication there.
It then reviewed the shipping element or emissions from suppliers to Kijlstra’s factory in Drachten, Holland, and transport from there to the port at Rotterdam for materials being shipped to the UK as well as delivery by articulated truck.
Carbon Clear’s Stuart Lemmon said: “Kijlstra have made an on-going commitment to offer carbon-neutral precast waste water products to their customers within the UK and understand both the environmental and business benefits of providing their stakeholders with a detailed breakdown of the impact caused by their installations.
“Working with us they can then make use of high-quality carbon offset programmes to balance the impact caused through the use of their products.”
Carbon Clear used a partial PAS 2050 life cycle assessment to conduct the study over a year and this involved site visits and data collection via questionnaires, supported by recognised data from sources such DEFRA and Bath University’s ICE database.
In addition, the metric has been fine-tuned to cater for products shipped to Purfleet or to Immingham. Bespoke models have also been created for projects including NMC Nomenca’s installation of a large CSO tank at Severn Trent Water’s £2.8million sewage tertiary treatment works project at Crankley Point in Newark, Nottinghamshire.
Kijlstra managing director David Williams said: “We are delighted we are now in the position of being able to help our clients meet their green targets by offering them the opportunity to offset the carbon footprint of our products used on their projects.”
This latest report by Carbon Clear follows one three years ago which revealed Kijlstra’s revolutionary square manholes, that can typically be installed up to 16 times quicker than traditional systems on standard units, were also up to 65% more carbon efficient. That report revealed the emissions per Kijlstra unit ranged from 0.4 to 2.3 tonnes CO2e compared to 1.2 to 4.5 tonnes for traditional circular manhole installations.
