Switch Africa Green Programme
Download the November 2020 issue of our CBA Member's magazine "The Voice". Print copies are currently being distributed to members - please contact the CBA if you don't receive your copies!
Thank... more
SWITCH Africa Green is a programme developed and funded by the European Union and implemented by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in partnership with European Union delegations in... more
The brick making sector in South Africa currently emits roughly 2.2 million tCO2e per year (Sector Sustainability Report 2018). Monitoring and reporting must cover all industrial processes, including... more
Sekela Mpekula is a rising starin the small informal clay brick settlement in Queenstown in the Eastern Cape. Sekela is an accounting graduate born and raised in Queenstown. In 1998 her parents... more
Limpopo province — and particularly Thohoyandou in the Vhembe regional municipality — is well known for the quality of its clay and the manufacturing of clay bricks. The Switch team visited the... more
CBA president Hendrik van Dyk, and Executive Director Mariana Lamont each undertook road trips to different regions of South Africa to connect with our Members.
Hendrik Van Dyk - President
I had the... more
A well-designed cavity wall built from a high-density masonry material like clay brick offers two key benefits:
It provides excellent insulation from temperature extremes and noise.
The cavity... more
Makana Brick in the Eastern Cape has invested in a solar microgrid to supplement and secure their power supply. The farm of photovoltaic (PV) panels is designed to produce 600 000 kW hours per annum... more
In an effort to continually improve the sustainability performance of the clay brick sector in South Africa, business cases have been developed to assist clay brick makers to evaluate the feasibility... more
Download 2019's last issue of our CBA Member's newsletter "The Voice". Print copies are curently being distributed to members - please contact the CBA if you don't receive your copies!
Thank you to... more
CBA Executive Director Mariana Lamont shares this insightful leadership article from Harvard Business Review.
By the end of the year, our days are packed to the brim with holidays, family... more
The Clay Brick Association has produced a user-friendly A4 leaflet for distribution to small-scale and informal sector clay brick production facilities. The factsheet outlines practical... more
Socio-economic sustainability concerns the parameters that affect people’s opportunities, now and in the future, to fulfil their potential as well attain their basic needs such as livelihoods, social... more
Essentially, ClickBricks are clay bricks that do not need to be connected by cement to create a stable wall. Produced by Daas Baksteen, ClickBricks can be dry stacked together by means of metal... more
Hydroseeding, also referred to as hydromulching, is a grass planting process. It is a fast, cost effective and high-quality method for seeding vegetation, land rehabilitation and erosion control. The... more
Fuel switching is often considered an essential step in achieving a low-carbon future. It replaces inefficient fuels with cleaner alternatives, such as substituting coal for natural gas or a suitable... more
Rain water, storm water, grey water, ground water and water reclaimed from manufacturing processes can be treated and reused.
In the brick production process, recycled waste water can be used during... more
Unfired clay bricks were first used in Mesopotamia around the third millennium BC. Almost a third of the world's inhabitants live in houses made of earth.
Earth masonry is not “fired” like... more
Submitted by: Lisa Reynolds
Carbon Tax is being implemented in South Africa from 1 June 2019. At the CBA’s annual conference, Lisa Reynolds of Green Building Design Group (GreenBDG) updated CBA... more
Dr Garth Tayler, a consultant in Ceramic Science and heavy clay production spoke on the 80:20 Rule as applied to sustainable brick manufacture.
Back in 1906 the Italian engineer, philosopher,... more
Sustainability Factsheet #04
Habla Zig Zag Kilns (HZZKs) offer an innovative and scalable kiln that is versatile and can be configured for either large or small commercial use.
The kiln provides a... more
Sustainability Factsheet #04
Improving the efficiency of water usage and water conservation practices within the clay brick sector will significantly contribute to the preservation of South Africa’s... more
Sustainability Factsheet #03
“Dematerialization is the reduction of the total material and energy throughput of any product and service, and thus the limitation of its environmental impact.
This... more
Sustainability Factsheet #02
The Department of Environmental Affairs has set limits for the air pollutants that may be released from clamp kilns.
As the oldest and (still) most utilized firing... more
