Less energy required to transport
Concrete and clay tiles can be bulky and heavy. One house-lot would require one average-size truck for transport. The same truck could carry enough Gerard pressed steel roofing for about 10 homes, using less energy (and therefore less carbon) to transport.
Less timber required for framing
Compared to a concrete tile roof, a pressed steel roof doesn’t require as much framing support. On average, a roof can require as much as an extra $2000 worth of framing materials and $1000 more in labour costs.
Steel can always be recycled
Steel is the most eco friendly material in the world. In fact it can be recycled infinitely, without losing any of its qualities. So when a Gerard roof reaches the end of its useful life, it doesn’t need to end up in landfill. It can be re-worked into another steel product.
Our commitment to sustainability
The Fletcher Building Roof Tile Group, manufacturer of Gerard Roofs, leads the world in the design and production of pressed steel roof tiles. The group adheres to the ISO 14001 standard of Environmental Management and is committed to on-going sustainability improvements, so that the activities of today don’t impact negatively on the future.
Sustainable steel
- Steel is 100% recyclable - its form can be changed infinitely without any of its qualities being lost.
- Due to its magnetic properties, steel is easy to separate from waste streams, enabling high recovery rates.
- The by-products arising from steel production are all re-used. For example, slag is employed as a high-value mineral material for highway construction, as ballast, and for the manufacture of cement.
Sustainability facts and figures
24½
The number of trees we saved in a year. By recycling, we prevented 3.325m3 (70 bins) of paper from going to landfill.
1780
The number of trees planted during the Fletcher Building Roof Tile Group Sustainability Fortnight.
13%
Reduction in gas use by the Fletcher Building Roof Tile Group from 2009-2010 financial year to 2010-2011 financial year.
18%
Reduction in water use by the Fletcher Building Roof Tile Group New Zealand plant from 2009-2010 financial year to 2010-2011 financial year.
43%
Reduction in environmental incidents by the Fletcher Building Roof Tile Group New Zealand plant from 2009-2010 financial year to 2010-2011 financial year.
25%
The amount we aim to reduce our contribution to landfill, by 2013.
100%
In 2011, the Fletcher Building Tile Group became a 100% Fair Trade work place. Buying exclusively Fair Trade consumables like coffee, fruit and sugar, means we’re supporting workers and communities in the developing world. It ensures a fair price and helps support global sustainability.
What sustainability means to us
Sustainability by definition is inherently broad. Generally, however, there is a commonly understood idea of sustainability – the capacity for continuance into the long term. For a business such as Roof Tile Group, sustainability is a process, a journey we have often likened to climbing a mountain.
Roof Tile Group follows a sustainability framework that ensures the company operates in a manner that achieves financial success through the practice of environmental stewardship, ethical leadership, and by embracing our role as a corporate citizen in the communities where we work.