How to Help Your Clients Choose Sustainable Materials
Want to offer your clients more sustainable options? Take a look at these eco-friendly ideas
From plant-based surfaces to those made from waste products, there’s a vast array of sustainable home materials to choose from. Check out this selection of materials to help you offer clients renovation choices that work alongside the environment.
In this nursery designed by Ecospheric, the walls are decorated with a paint called Graphenstone, which is a combination of lime and graphene. The latter is extremely strong and durable, and has super-conductivity properties that help it to thermally regulate the home.
Use waste products
The aim for sustainability is driving manufacturers to become more and more innovative. The result is an ever-increasing range of materials that have been constructed from recycled products.
Look out for kitchen worktops made from recycled glass, for instance. They consist of at least 90% glass that’s been crushed and set into resin. The finished product can look a little like concrete and has an attractive translucent appearance. For the walls, tiles made from recycled glass, such as Fireclay’s Crush tiles, are another beautiful and sustainable option.
Rob Cole of Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens also recommends worktops made from recycled paper, like the ones in this space, or a recycled plastic product from Finland called Durat.
The aim for sustainability is driving manufacturers to become more and more innovative. The result is an ever-increasing range of materials that have been constructed from recycled products.
Look out for kitchen worktops made from recycled glass, for instance. They consist of at least 90% glass that’s been crushed and set into resin. The finished product can look a little like concrete and has an attractive translucent appearance. For the walls, tiles made from recycled glass, such as Fireclay’s Crush tiles, are another beautiful and sustainable option.
Rob Cole of Sheffield Sustainable Kitchens also recommends worktops made from recycled paper, like the ones in this space, or a recycled plastic product from Finland called Durat.
Textile manufacturers are also using waste products to produce more sustainable items. Carpets made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate (PET) plastic bottles, are a great example. Recycled-plastic carpets, like the one in this child’s bedroom, are soft underfoot, super-absorbent and stain-resistant.
Work with wood
Timber is a good choice if you’re looking for a sustainable material to use internally and externally, but it’s important to source FSC-certified wood.
The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international body that governs the certification and accreditation of the world’s forests, plantations and timbers. It aims to ensure forests are managed in a way that’s environmentally, socially and economically beneficial.
An example is the sweet chestnut used on the panelling of this house. “Sweet chestnut is a British hardwood that’s very durable,” architect Sam Cooper says. He treated it with a breathable stain to give it this dramatic black colour.
Timber is a good choice if you’re looking for a sustainable material to use internally and externally, but it’s important to source FSC-certified wood.
The FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) is an international body that governs the certification and accreditation of the world’s forests, plantations and timbers. It aims to ensure forests are managed in a way that’s environmentally, socially and economically beneficial.
An example is the sweet chestnut used on the panelling of this house. “Sweet chestnut is a British hardwood that’s very durable,” architect Sam Cooper says. He treated it with a breathable stain to give it this dramatic black colour.
Reduce your carbon footprint by sourcing your timber locally. You can search online to find a reputable supplier in your area. In this Manchester-based house, cabinet-maker John George made the kitchen out of English wood, which he sourced from a local sustainable online hub, TreeStation.
Rethink and reuse
A simple, sustainable approach is to use second-hand materials and products. Reclaimed items can be creatively upcycled into something quite beautiful. This house in Auckland, New Zealand, is clad in corrugated iron from a former brewery nearby. Not only is it eco-friendly, its aged appearance adds depth to the look of the building.
A simple, sustainable approach is to use second-hand materials and products. Reclaimed items can be creatively upcycled into something quite beautiful. This house in Auckland, New Zealand, is clad in corrugated iron from a former brewery nearby. Not only is it eco-friendly, its aged appearance adds depth to the look of the building.
Reclaimed materials can be used inside, too. Consider old copper piping and taps, scaffold planks for furniture and worktops, and even old floorboards as work surfaces, like the parquet boards used on this island by All & Nxthing.
Grow your own
Plant-based materials are gaining ground in interiors, with manufacturers using natural products such as pineapple leaves and mushrooms to produce sustainable products.
At Germany’s 2020 Heimtextil fair, Austrian manufacturer Organoid showcased home surfaces made from natural materials including hay, flowers and moss. These are pressed together with an eco-friendly binding agent to form products such as laminate, self-adhesive film and wall coverings. The surfaces are left untreated to allow their natural fragrance to come through.
Plant-based materials are gaining ground in interiors, with manufacturers using natural products such as pineapple leaves and mushrooms to produce sustainable products.
At Germany’s 2020 Heimtextil fair, Austrian manufacturer Organoid showcased home surfaces made from natural materials including hay, flowers and moss. These are pressed together with an eco-friendly binding agent to form products such as laminate, self-adhesive film and wall coverings. The surfaces are left untreated to allow their natural fragrance to come through.
Some designers are making the most of the waste fibres that result from harvesting banana plants, sometimes known as abaca fibres. As they’re flexible, they can be woven into furniture and light shades like these.
Go for soft and supple
If cork makes you think of office noticeboards, it’s time to think again. There’s more to this material than you might imagine, including exemplary eco credentials.
Made from the bark of the cork oak tree, it can be harvested every 10 years or so without any harm to the tree. It’s also antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, biodegradable and recyclable, and can be used on internal walls, floors and furniture. Its insulating properties also make it ideal for external walls.
Richard Andrews of Richard John Andrews clad his extension with cork, and highlights that the material is also water-resistant. “Cork repels insects, too,” he adds, “so there’s no need to apply a chemical treatment or use an insect mesh beneath the façade to prevent nests.”
If cork makes you think of office noticeboards, it’s time to think again. There’s more to this material than you might imagine, including exemplary eco credentials.
Made from the bark of the cork oak tree, it can be harvested every 10 years or so without any harm to the tree. It’s also antimicrobial, hypoallergenic, biodegradable and recyclable, and can be used on internal walls, floors and furniture. Its insulating properties also make it ideal for external walls.
Richard Andrews of Richard John Andrews clad his extension with cork, and highlights that the material is also water-resistant. “Cork repels insects, too,” he adds, “so there’s no need to apply a chemical treatment or use an insect mesh beneath the façade to prevent nests.”
Stay cosy
Any home insulation has eco benefits, as it prevents warmth leaving the building and saves on energy consumption. However, some insulation materials are more sustainable than others.
This Portland home designed by Emerald Builders, for instance, is kept warm by recycled cellulose insulation. The flexible material is made from recycled paper and is blown into the building’s cavities. It can easily squeeze into small areas, which makes it highly efficient.
The insulation material isn’t fire-retardant in itself, so it’s treated with non-hazardous chemicals, such as the mineral borate.
Tell us…
Have you used any interesting sustainable materials in your renovation projects? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
Any home insulation has eco benefits, as it prevents warmth leaving the building and saves on energy consumption. However, some insulation materials are more sustainable than others.
This Portland home designed by Emerald Builders, for instance, is kept warm by recycled cellulose insulation. The flexible material is made from recycled paper and is blown into the building’s cavities. It can easily squeeze into small areas, which makes it highly efficient.
The insulation material isn’t fire-retardant in itself, so it’s treated with non-hazardous chemicals, such as the mineral borate.
Tell us…
Have you used any interesting sustainable materials in your renovation projects? Share your ideas in the Comments section.
When it comes to choosing a plaster finish for internal walls, consider lime rather than cement plaster. It’s carbon-neutral and can be crushed and recycled.
Lime plaster is porous, so it allows walls to breathe and reduces damp. It’s also warm, as it has large, air-filled pores, so it works well as a thermal insulator. On top of this, it has natural antibacterial qualities, and its flexibility makes it extremely durable.
You can also use lime-based paints, as Sam Cooper of E2 Architecture + Interiors did in this bedroom. “They help to regulate the moisture content and also suck up a lot of internal air pollutants,” he says.