Locally sourced materials are at the heart of many green design projects. This approach reduces the significant environmental impact of transportation and supports vernacular architecture.
It’s important to consider the full life cycle of a material when looking for local options. For example, plywood may be made from lumber sourced in the USA but then shipped to Asia for milling and laminating.
1. Reduced Carbon Footprint
Everyone knows about the carbon footprint – how far your food has travelled to reach the supermarket shelves, for example. However, less people are aware that the same principles can be applied to building materials – especially if they’re sourced locally.
Sourcing building materials locally reduces the amount of transportation emissions produced, as well as the embodied carbon in those materials. This is a big factor when trying to claim sustainable status for your project under the Living Building Challenge, in particular the Place Petal which states:
By using local materials that have been produced sustainably, you can minimise the impact of your project on the environment, including climate change. This is because local products typically use renewable resources and produce less greenhouse gasses during their production, and they can be sourced in a way that minimises environmental degradation. For example, by sourcing local timber, you can ensure that foresters and farmers are not cutting down too many trees at once or harvesting them from areas where they’ll need to be replanted again in the future.
2. Support Local Economy
Before the advent of global supply chains and transportation, people built using materials they had available in their own communities. This is still the case today, but many communities have lost respect for traditional building technologies that employ earth and organic materials. A resurgence in the use of these technologies could help support local economies.
Buying locally sourced materials also supports local jobs in processing, manufacturing, and distribution. This helps strengthen a community’s economic base and has a positive impact on the quality of life in that area. Local businesses also contribute to the tax base that pays for things like roads and schools.
When a material makes a local claim, it usually means the company’s headquarters are nearby; manufacturing takes place in that area; or that the raw material originated from there. Using these materials reduces the need to transport them, thus reducing embodied and whole life carbon emissions. It’s important to note that not all raw materials can be sourced locally; it’s important for architects and engineers to make this clear to their suppliers and contractors.
3. Increased Durability
When you build using locally sourced materials, they’re likely to be stronger and longer-lasting. That means they’ll need to be replaced less often, saving you time and money. It also helps to support local businesses that manufacture these durable building materials.
When buying these sustainable building materials, make sure to look for suppliers and contractors that are committed to environmentally responsible practices. They will be more likely to be knowledgeable about the products they sell and how they are made.
However, it is important to remember that some building materials may still be shipped long distances for processing and finishing. For example, cheap plastics are almost always manufactured overseas. Many engineered stone products are fabricated in China, and oak or birch veneers may be sent to Indonesia or Malaysia for laminating onto plywood cores, even though they originate within the United States. This type of shipping and manufacturing carries a high embodied energy footprint and is best avoided. Ideally, you should only buy building materials that are harvested and made in your own community.
4. Increased Energy Efficiency
Locally sourced materials reduce the need for construction products to be transported long distances, which requires a lot of energy. This is particularly important for materials with a high embodied energy, such as those made from a composite of metal and stone.
However, not all building materials are locally available. For example, mud and straw are both nontraditional building materials that have been used in sustainable buildings. The use of these materials in construction has many benefits, including the fact that they are cheap and easy to work with, and can also increase thermal comfort by absorbing and releasing heat.
In addition, using local products can help a project qualify for green certifications and points. Many green building rating systems define a certain radius around a project site that qualifies as “regional.” This can provide specifiers with a wide range of eligible products. Whether it’s limestone from Indiana or steel from Pittsburgh, there are plenty of regional products to choose from. It’s just a matter of identifying them. Some of the most common sources include local hardware stores, online classifieds and community organizations that can connect contractors with local manufacturers.
5. Reduced Waste
We’ve all heard of climate-conscious consumers checking the origins of their food, seeing how far it has travelled and paying attention to the so-called “food miles.” What about our building materials? The ingredients that go into bricks, concrete, timber and steel need to travel a far distance too before they end up on a construction site.
Using local materials reduces this waste by ensuring the products will be used for their intended purpose and helping you meet your green certification requirements, if applicable. Many local material producers will work with you to develop a waste diversion plan to help you qualify for LEED credits or comply with state and county waste diversion mandates.
Choosing local materials can also enhance your design. For example, you might choose to use locally harvested cork for its thermal and acoustic properties as an alternative to traditional insulation. This will enable the foresters and farmers that supply this material to replant trees ahead of time, ensuring the ecological integrity of their land. Cork is also an attractive, durable material that supports vernacular architecture and helps to promote local culture.