November 1, 2022

Low-Carbon Cement Alternative: BioBasedTiles® (Sustainability Statement)

The production of Portland cement is responsible for more than 8% of global carbon dioxide (CO₂) emissions—four times more than the entire aviation industry.

StoneCycling’s partner Biomason is leading the transition to planet-friendly construction with the goal to eliminate 25% of the CO₂ emissions from the concrete industry’s global carbon emissions by 2030.

The BioBasedTiles® demonstrate our combined commitment to developing a low-carbon cement alternative.

BioBasedTiles® Sustainability Statement || StoneCycling

Environmental Impact

Biomason aims to reduce carbon emissions with their low-carbon cement alternative in three key areas of their production process: the input of raw materials, the manufacturing facility, and the BioBasedTiles manufacturing process.

Raw Materials

BioBasedTiles are made with aggregates from a local supplier, lessening raw material transportation. They are also Declare® Red List Free, meaning 100% of raw materials are disclosed and contain no red listed chemicals.

Manufacturing Facility

BioBasedTiles will be produced in a sustainable facility equipped with solar panels and is south-facing to allow for maximum sunlight exposure, saving over 250,000 kWh annually.

BioBasedTiles Manufacturing Process

Current Biomason products do have cradle-to-gate carbon emissions, largely associated with their raw material supply chains. However, they are building pathways to producing carbon neutral construction materials as they continue to drive down production impacts and transitioning to carbon negative systems as they work with emerging low-carbon supply chains.

BioBasedTiles® Sustainability Statement || StoneCycling

Global Warming Potential/Carbon Emissions

A life cycle assessment (LCA) and corresponding environmental product declaration (EPD) will be developed for the BioBasedTiles manufactured by IBF. The BioBasedTiles LCA will be produced once the IBF facility has been running for several months. This is required to ensure that the material quantities and utility demands accurately represent typical production of the BioBasedTiles.

Biomason is confident that the EPD for the BioBasedTiles cradle-to-gate scope will deliver assurance to customers that they are receiving a world-class product.

Certifications

BioBasedTiles hold HPD v2.2 and Declare Red List Free labels as well as have a CE Marking and a Sundahus A rating. They are listed in the following databases for sustainable materials: Transparency Register, Transparency Catalog, Mindful Materials, and Ecomedes.

Contribution to Green Building Initiatives

The BioBasedTiles can contribute to earning points towards various building certification systems. Below is an overview of contributions to common standards (LEED, WELL, BREEAM, and DGNB).

Additional information for other systems can be provided upon request. Biomason has a LEED Green Associate and WELL Accredited Professional on staff to assist in inquiries regarding these systems. All contributions below assume inclusion on new construction of owner-occupied commercial buildings.

LEED v4.1 for BD+C: New Construction

LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) focuses on building sustainability and impacts on the environment. Credits, the necessary objectives to gain points, are split into multiple Credit Categories, including process, location, water efficiency, energy use, materials and resources, indoor air quality, innovation, and regional priority. There are 110 total points available under LEED v4.1 BD+C. BioBasedTiles can contribute up to 6 points in the following categories:

Building Product Disclosure and Optimization (2 points)
Low-Emitting materials (1-3 points)
Material Ingredient Reporting (1 point)

WELL v2, Owner Occupied

WELL focuses on the health and safety of the built environment and how that impacts people or occupants. The “credits” of WELL are known as features and are classified as required preconditions or optimizations, the latter contributing to a higher certification level. Preconditions must be met for WELL certification, and BioBasedTiles can contribute to one precondition. There are 100 total points available for higher levels of certification under WELL v2. BioBasedTiles can contribute up to 8 points in the following categories:

Enhanced Material Restrictions (1 point)
VOC Restrictions (1-4 points)
Materials Transparency (1-2 points)
Materials Optimization (1 point)
Nature and Place (precondition required)

BREEAM, International New Construction Version 6.0

BREEAM (Building Research Establishment’s Environmental Assessment Method) is a system developed to benchmark a building’s sustainability and environmental impact, similar to LEED. Maximum BREEAM rating is 100%, meaning all possible credits have been achieved. Total credit number is dependent on building type, but BioBasedTiles can contribute to 2 credits in the following categories:

Designing for durability and resilience (1 credit)
Material efficiency (1 credit)

DGNB System, New Construction, Version 2020 International, Office Buildings

The DGNB (German Sustainable Building Council) System sets a standard for quality of sustainable buildings, focusing on circular economy and impact on human occupants. Certification levels for the DGNB System are based on percentages of a total, with criteria having a different weight based on project type (schemes). BioBasedTiles can contribute to a maximum of 5 criteria. The following criteria and points are listed based on the office building scheme for consistent analysis.