25 sustainable materials that can be used for facade. Narrow them down by feedstock and availability.
Radiata pine acetylated to durability class 1, backed by a 50-year above-ground warranty and Cradle to Cradle Gold certification.
A modified softwood with the paperwork to stand in for tropical hardwood — durability and stability figures,…
Cellular glass insulation made from 100% recycled glass.
A cellular glass the manufacturer describes as 100% recycled glass. It comes in two forms, board and gravel.
A low-carbon recycled aluminium range using a high proportion of post-consumer aluminium scrap.
Aluminium that uses at least 75% post-consumer scrap (for CIRCAL 75R). Recycled content differs by grade.
Low-carbon stainless steel made from 100% low-carbon raw materials such as recycled steel scrap. Carbon footprint down to 0.5 kg CO2e per kg — up to 93% below the global industry average of 7 kg (company average 1.6 kg). Batch-specific product carbon footprint certificates verified by TÜV SÜD in line with ISO 14067. Launched May 2022; 16 products as cold/hot rolled coil; adopted by 30+ companies across Europe and Asia.
The stainless counterpart to SSAB Zero (carbon steel). A rare metal product with batch-specific measured carb…
A vapor-permeable structural wood-based board that uses circular wood and sawmill by-products.
An exterior-wall sheathing board in which, according to the manufacturer, 90% of the wood is from circular so…
An insulating plaster of hydraulic lime, diatomaceous earth, pumice and perlite blended with cork and natural fibres. λ 0.045 W/mK at 360±20 kg/m³, vapour-open (μ=4, 71.64% porosity) for breathable insulation. Non-combustible A1 (EN 13501-1), CE and UKCA marked, holds an EPD, with LEED v4/4.1, WELL v2 and BREEAM contributions stated. Especially suited to retrofitting older buildings inside and out.
The plaster axis had only two records, neither aimed at insulation. This is plaster and insulation in one — r…
Thermal insulation / sound absorption board made by bonding cork granules with heat and pressure.
An insulation material the manufacturer describes as expanded cork with no additives. The same material can b…
A closed-cell glass insulation containing on average 50% post-consumer recycled glass.
A cellular glass insulation that, according to official product documents, contains on average 50% recycled g…
Reclaimed bricks cleaned with patented vibration technology and reused as-is (Svendborg, Denmark, since 2003). Stated saving of 0.5 kg CO2 per brick. Holds an approved ETA and EAD with CE marking for use in new construction, with an in-house test lab (GM Tech Lab). Yellow and red facing bricks, patinated bricks and interior brick slips supplied at scale.
The second record on the reclaimed axis — and re-use itself, not crushing. Bricks survive whole, with ETA and…
An unfired brick made mainly from construction and demolition waste.
A brick that, according to the manufacturer, uses more than 96% construction and demolition waste.
Norwegian softwood modified with a bio-based liquid (furfurylation), carrying FSC, PEFC and Nordic Swan labels and warranties up to 35 years above ground.
A modified softwood that replaces tropical hardwood by a different route from acetylation — with forest certi…
Recycled-aggregate concrete blocks from Lignacite, UK. Declared minimum recycled content of 50% (ECO 50) and 70% (ECO 70), backed by an independently verified EPD via EPD Hub. A1-A4 from 6.6 kg CO2e/m² (100 mm ECO 50), BSI Kitemarked to BS EN 771-3 Category 1, non-combustible A1. Compressive strengths 3.6/7.3 N/mm² for cavity walls, partitions, fire breaks and acoustic walls.
Adds a mass-produced UK block to the construction-waste masonry line-up (BC, K-Briq, FRONT). Declared recycle…
Large translucent/opaque glass-ceramic panels made by sintering waste glass.
A panel the manufacturer describes as 100% recycled glass.
Outdoor boards of thermally densified 4–5-year bamboo, durability class 1, with carbon storage published through LCA and EPD.
Fast-growing feedstock with tropical-hardwood-class durability — and the rare habit of backing that claim wit…
Architectural rolled copper made in Finland. The EPD (EPD Hub HUB-0258) states the raw material is "100% scrap copper" and declares GWP A1-A3 of 0.332 kg CO2e/kg (issued Jan 2023, valid to Jan 2028). Sheets and coils 0.3–4.0 mm in seven surfaces (Standard, Brown, Brass, Bronze, Royal, Green, Blue) for roofs, facades and cladding.
Copper fills a previously empty metal axis in the archive. A third-party EPD pins both feedstock (100% scrap)…
Recycled aluminium sheet from one of the world's largest aluminium rollers and recyclers. Average recycled content 63% in FY2025 (75% target by 2030), 84 billion used beverage cans recycled a year. Emissions intensity 3.6 t CO2e/t FRP (below 3 by 2030; −10% intensity achieved). EPDs published for architectural products. Supplied into beverage cans, automotive, aerospace and building sheet.
Broadens the aluminium axis beyond Hydro CIRCAL into rolling and the can-to-can loop. The sheer scale of cans…
Low-carbon float glass combining 64% recycled cullet (declared per ISO 14021) with renewable electricity. Substrate (4 mm) at 6.64 kg CO2eq/m² — 42% below standard PLANICLEAR (coated 6 mm 10.26–10.71, −43%). Third-party verified EPDs (substrate Apr 2023, coated Nov 2023), Cradle to Cradle v4.0 Bronze (Platinum for circularity), Solar Impulse label. Launched Sep 2022; made at seven plants in Europe and India.
The first flat-glass record in the archive. For projects that cannot avoid glass — windows, facades — this is…
A recycled PVC facade and roof tile based on construction waste.
It returns construction PVC waste to use as facade and roof tiles, showing material circulation directly on t…
A wood-substitute composite that uses rice husk as its main plant-based filler.
A composite that, according to the manufacturer, uses about 60% rice husk mixed with polymer and minerals.
Exterior profile using rice-husk-derived silica and recycled polymer.
A wall cladding profile made of silica obtained from rice husks blended with a small amount of recycled PVC.
A low-carbon ceramic tile with a high content of industrial by-products and waste glass and ceramics.
A tile that uses 95–98.5% recycled feedstock depending on color. The feedstock includes post-use recovered gl…
Swedish steel melted from recycled scrap with fossil-free electricity and biogas. Third-party-verified EPDs put cradle-to-gate A1-A3 at 0.57 kg CO2e/kg and SSAB's own operations (scope 1-2) below 0.05 kg CO2e/kg. Available as hot- and cold-rolled, metal- and colour-coated sheet, tubes and sections.
At a time when "zero-carbon steel" is loosely used, this is a rare case where the maker itself separates own-…
Thermally modified wood from Thermory, Estonia — modified with only heat and steam in computer-controlled kilns (no chemicals; 215°C for Thermo-Ash). CATAS-tested EN 350 durability: ash, spruce and oak Class 1 (25+ years), pine and radiata Class 2. EPDs for eight product categories, FSC and PEFC (2025-03-17), ISO 9001/14001/45001, Nordic Swan (outdoor wood, group 086), CE/DoP to EN 14915. Eight species; decking, cladding, flooring and saunas in 60+ countries.
Completes the third modification route (heat) after Accoya (acetylation) and Kebony (furfurylation). No chemi…
US composite decking made from recycled plastic film and reclaimed wood fibre. 95% recycled and reclaimed content across all lines; over 5.5 billion pounds of film recycled to date. Limited residential warranties of 25–50 years.
The most widely distributed recycled-plastic composite alternative to treated timber for exterior decks. Recy…
A family of unfired/low-waste building bricks made with waste-based feedstock.
A brick that, according to the official process documentation, uses 60% or more waste.