NSC Sustainability Benchmark Survey: Results and Publications
A number of reports and other informative material will be made available as this project continues. This page provides these documents, specifically:
View and print these by clicking on the links below. These documents are in PDF and require Adobe Acrobat Reader to open.
For questions regarding this material, please contact the Center for Clean Products at 865.360.5265 or cleanproducts@utk.edu.
LCI Datasets
Life-cycle inventories have been established for granite, limestone, and sandstone quarrying and processing operations. These data will serve a multitude of functions, including the ability to:
- Characterize the environmental profile of natural stone industry operations by providing an estimate of embodied energy, water consumption, and material resource utilization per ton of stone extracted and produced;
- Identify improvement areas for industry operations;
- Assist in establishing best practices of industry operations against which improvement can be measured; and
- Feed material fact sheets and other documents useful for the stone and design communities.
These reports are provided below.
Best Practices
The LCI datasets have been instrumental in illuminating the industry’s improvement areas. In order to communicate these focus points and to provide direction in modifying quarry and processing operations, a series of best practice documents is being generated. They will be posted here as they become available.
- Best Practice: Water Consumption, Treatment, and Reuse
- Best Practice: Site Maintenance and Quarry Closure
- Best Practice: Solid Wste Management
- Best Practice: Transportation
Case Studies
Using stone products in building applications can produce certain environmental benefits. Real examples are highlighted through case studies to communicate these positive aspects of stone. These documents will be shared here as they are completed.
- Case Study: Application of Green Building Certification Programs to Natural Stone
- Case Study: Durability of Stone Flooring in High Traffic Areas
- Case Study: Use of Reclaimed Stone
Material Fact Sheets
Designers, architects, and sometimes even researchers, among other audiences, find utility in reference materials that provide a quick overview of a particular topic. Material fact sheets describing specific stone types have been developed to meet this need. The one-page (double-sided) documents are partially fed by the life-cycle inventories and inform the reader about the stone’s natural formation, region(s) of deposits worldwide, physical properties, applicable ASTM standards, as well as environmental and human health considerations.