Recently, 3 life cycle assessments were conducted by independent third parties to determine which building materials really are better for our environment. LCAs examine the impact of a building material from it’s creation to it’s disposal or recycling. They also consider the energy used and emissions caused to create, transport, manufacture and refine the material. The results of these LCAs: Real wood outperformed plastics, steel, and concrete across the board.
- Wood is the one 100% renewable and reusable building product.
- Wood Decking has one of the lowest environmental impacts overall among decking materials.
- Wood requires less energy to manufacture and releases exponentially less greenhouse gasses than alternative decking products.
- Cedar and Pressure-Treated Pine are harvested using sustainable, responsible forestry practices. As a result, North American forests have grown by 20% since 1970.
Interested Fact:
Fossil-Fuel Footprint
The fossil-fuel footprint for a 16’x20′ deck (320 sq ft) constructed of wood equates to driving a car approximately 38 miles per year. For a deck built from an alternative decking product, the fossil fuel footprint equates to driving the same car approximately 450 miles per year.
References: https://nadra.org/
Check out more information on our website at deckanddrivesolutions.com or
email at aaron@deck-and-drive.local