In the era of shrinking natural resources and multiplying calls for sustainability and environmentally friendly solutions in all industries, going green does not necessarily mean renouncing natural materials and switching to manmade alternatives altogether. Instead of using artificial materials in construction, architecture and a number of other sectors, natural stone can still remain one of the principal resources granted it is produced in a novel way, so as to minimize energy consumption, waste and carbon footprint, which is precisely what modern natural stone production systems and projects aim to enable.
Main Aspects of Eco-Friendly Natural Stone Production
Sustainable natural stone production processes focus on three principal environmental aspects:
- optimized exploitation of raw materials and natural resources,
- minimal energy consumption in the production procedure, and
- use of multipurpose energy-efficient solutions that rely on natural stone.
Benefits for Natural Resources
Contemporary engineering technologies and automatized systems used in environmentally friendly production of natural stone aim to ensure sustainable organic consolidation and stone fortification by means of sustainable agents and eco-friendly processing procedures. This helps minimize breakage of raw stone and diminish the quantity of byproducts and waste.
Water-based agents and sustainable epoxy resin formulas used in the production and processing procedures act as eco-safe consolidants and help curb emission of organic volatile ingredients that largely impact both human health and the environment. Furthermore, sustainable natural stone production procedures usually rely on fast-carving equipment that maximizes use of raw stone while reducing dust emission and waste footprint, thus helping keep the pace of climate change in check.
Energy Benefits
In addition to the environmentally safe aspect, sustainable natural stone production procedures also entail increased energy efficiency and reduced electricity consumption. According to the people who own and operate a Sydney-based business specialized in quality pavers, eco-friendly stone production uses procedures and techniques that optimize the use of energy while maintaining high productivity.
In addition to that, innovative and multifunctional products like natural stone with thermal power storage properties or self-cleaning capacities obtained through these procedures will be more energy-efficient and if used in the construction industry, they will also cut the need for use of HVAC systems or extra heating devices.
Market Benefits
Use of environmentally-friendly stone production and processing techniques and systems also has one more positive result that has nothing to do with the global climate and the environment. Thanks to the fast-spreading trend of sustainable natural stone carving processes, the price of raw stone and stone-based products will continue to drop, thus contributing to increased market competitiveness and an improved economic climate in the stone production and processing sector.
And while the price of the new stone-based goods keeps dropping, the quality of the final product would not change for the worse as the contemporary production methods and procedures would guarantee unaltered durability and even higher resistance to bacteria, pollution, dust and other potential hazards that can reduce natural stone lifespan.
Social Benefits
Owing to their innovative properties and features like thermal energy storage and self-cleaning, products obtained through sustainable production procedures will also positively impact human life. For instance, stone produced through eco-friendly processes and used in the building industry will increase comfort, enhance architectural designs and reduce internal temperature oscillations in buildings, thus optimizing household energy efficiency. But that’s not all: due to their multifunctional nature and appealing visual design, new stone products will also have an added aesthetic value and greater versatility of use, which will all contribute to a more favorable living and higher social standards.
The future of the planet may not be so grim after all: with the new intelligent and eco-friendly natural stone manufacturing processes and methods, we may all see a positive change in the construction industry, architectural solutions, stone product functionality and human life as a whole.
Author Bio: If one thing is true about Lillian Connors, her mind is utterly curious. That’s why she can’t resist the urge to embark on a myriad of home improvement projects and spread the word about them. As the Co-Editor at SmoothDecorator, she cherishes the notion that sustainable housing and gardening will not only make us far less dependent on others regarding the dwellings we inhabit and what we eat, but also contribute to our planet being a better place to live on. You can check her out on Twitter and LinkedIn.