Brick innovation set to solve global construction waste crisis

Scottish cleantech building materials company Kenoteq, a spinout from Heriot-Watt University, is set to transform the U.K. construction market as its revolutionary K-BRIQ achieves certification from the British Board of Agrément (BBA), the U.K.'s leading construction certification body.

Now allowing entire facades to be constructed from recycled building materials that would otherwise end up in landfill, the brick is the world's first to be made from near 100% recycled construction waste and achieves the rigorous certification.

The K-BRIQ, which was developed out of research at Heriot-Watt University, has been recognized as one of the world's most sustainable building bricks. The unfired brick produces 95% less carbon emissions than traditional clay bricks. In a standard two-bedroom in a U.K. house requiring 12,000 bricks, switching to K-BRIQs would slash carbon emissions from 5.46 metric tons to 0.2 metric tons of CO₂e—the equivalent of taking a petrol-powered car off the road for an entire year.

Embodied carbon can account for more than 50% of a building's total carbon footprint yet has received less attention than operational carbon in regulations and industry practices. As leaders in sustainability, public sector organizations and developers in the City of London are already showing strong interest in the K-BRIQ's environmental credentials as it can help meet their ambitious climate targets. Educational estates, large-scale office buildings and major urban regeneration projects are likely to be among early adopters.

Kenoteq's East Lothian facility is now ramping up to produce 2 million bricks annually, with the capacity to double production to 4 million as demand grows. This manufacturing breakthrough comes at a critical time as the construction industry faces increasing pressure to reduce its environmental footprint.

With no standard testing regime for a non-traditional building material of this type, the K-BRIQ underwent an unprecedented level of rigorous testing over several years. Notably, it received the maximum durability rating possible, which is particularly important for the U.K. market.

This milestone follows additional certification for use in the United States through the prestigious DrJ Technical Evaluation Report (TER), positioning the K-BRIQ as a Scottish innovation preparing to make a global impact. With dual international certification secured, and European certification underway, the company is already fielding inquiries from across the world.

The K-BRIQ addresses significant environmental challenges in the construction industry. Today's staple construction products drain finite resources while the sector is the largest contributor to landfill waste. The U.K. also relies on an environmentally damaging level of traditional high-carbon brick imports.

As Europe's largest market for bricks, the U.K. uses about 2.5 billion bricks annually. With more than 500 million imported and about 50 million of these traveling from outside the EU, the environmental impact is colossal.

Additionally, more than a third of the waste in global landfills is estimated to be of demolition and construction origin. Construction, demolition and excavation waste accounts for approximately 60%–65% of total waste generated in the U.K., of which approximately 50–60 million metric tons is construction and demolition waste specifically. Tackling this, Kenoteq can create recycled bricks fit for use within 24 hours of the processed waste arriving at its ultra-low-energy factory.

Dr. Sam Chapman, co-founder and executive director of Kenoteq, said, "This certification marks the arrival of a truly transformative building material for the construction and interior design industries. Unlike approaches that simply treat the symptoms of construction's environmental impact, the K-BRIQ addresses the root cause by directly tackling the waste crisis while delivering a product that performs exactly like traditional materials, including the clay brick.

"Securing BBA certification allows our product to be specified with confidence on commercial projects across the U.K. We've already seen significant interest from leading property developers, architectural firms and public sector bodies committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their construction projects.

"The K-BRIQ is not just an environmentally superior alternative to traditional bricks, but a technically robust building material suitable for a wide range of construction applications. With our certification secured, we can now scale up production to meet market requirements while maintaining the exceptional quality and sustainability credentials that set us apart.

"The construction industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining high standards of quality and safety. The BBA certification of the K-BRIQ demonstrates that these goals are not mutually exclusive—we can build better while building greener."

Katy Roberts, Sales and Marketing Director at the British Board of Agrément, said, "The BBA is proud to play its part in helping clients like Kenoteq bring innovative and sustainable new products into the market. In a sector where safety, performance, and trust are non-negotiable, third-party certification plays a crucial role in enabling innovation.

"Independent certification provides a rigorous, evidence-based pathway for new products to gain market acceptance. It reassures stakeholders, supports regulatory compliance, and ultimately helps turn groundbreaking ideas into real-world construction solutions."

With all K-BRIQs now achieving the highest level of durability rating under BBA certification, the Medero Dark Grey K-BRIQ variant has achieved an A-class fire rating, allowing its use in buildings classed as the highest risk. The K-BRIQ is available in 12 different colors, produced using recycled pigments, offering architects and developers aesthetic flexibility without compromising on environmental performance.

The BBA certification enables the K-BRIQ to be used in a wide range of building applications, satisfying insurance, warranty, mortgage and third-party liability requirements, which have previously been barriers to the widespread adoption of innovative construction materials.

Early adopter projects across the U.K. and Europe have already showcased the aesthetic and technical capabilities of the K-BRIQ, including walling and installations at Scotland's National Retrofit Center at BE-ST (Built Environment Smarter Transformation); Oaklands College in St Albans; a sustainability-blueprint hypermarket store in Germany owned by Europe's largest retailer, Kaufland—which is the company behind Lidl—and the fast-growing Gail's Bakery chain.

Provided by Heriot-Watt University