Choosing flooring involves more than just aesthetics. For some homeowners in New Zealand, environmental impact is a key consideration. While some flooring like bamboo flooring is often touted as an eco-friendly option, it's crucial to consider the entire lifecycle, from grove to grave. Let's delve into the carbon sequestration and manufacturing processes of two sustainable choices both bamboo and European engineered oak flooring.
Carbon Sequestration: A Lifelong Story
When evaluating the carbon footprint of flooring materials, it’s essential to consider the entire lifecycle—from raw material extraction and processing to transportation and installation and lifespan.
Marchand European Engineered Oak Flooring:
Carbon Sequestration During Growth:
European oak trees absorb CO₂ during growth, storing carbon within the wood fibers. This carbon remains sequestered throughout the product’s lifespan (please see calc below).
Manufacturing Emissions:
Production involves sawing, drying, and lamination, which consume energy. However, engineered wood flooring has lower emissions compared to other flooring categories due to limited manufacturing needed for processing both oak and eucalyptus hardwoods into our Marchand flooring.
Net Carbon Footprint:
Engineered wood flooring can be considered a carbon-negative material, storing CO₂ over its lifespan.
Unprocessed Oak
Bamboo Flooring:
Carbon Sequestration During Growth:
Bamboo is renowned for its rapid growth and high carbon sequestration capabilities. Studies show it can sequester up to four times more CO₂ compared to some trees.
Manufacturing Emissions:
The production of bamboo scrimber flooring involves energy-intensive processes like defibering and pressing, contributing to carbon emissions. Pressing and defibering are significant contributors.
Net Carbon Footprint:
Despite manufacturing emissions, bamboo scrimber flooring can have a negative carbon footprint, acting as a carbon sink over its lifecycle.
Comparison and Considerations:
Carbon Sequestration:
Both bamboo and European oak flooring act as carbon sinks. Bamboo's rapid growth allows for quicker carbon sequestration, while oak's longer growth period results in extended carbon storage. On a per-square meter basis, engineered oak flooring stores more CO₂ over its lifespan.
Manufacturing Emissions:
Bamboo flooring production involves energy-intensive processes. Engineered oak flooring production is generally less energy-intensive.
Transportation:
Transportation's carbon footprint is a complex equation. While precise calculations are challenging, particularly when comparing the efficiency of large, ocean-crossing vessels carrying European oak, to the smaller Asia-Pacific routes, it's vital to consider the broader context. Larger cargo ships, despite their size, are generally more fuel-efficient per ton of cargo carried. This efficiency, coupled with the inherent carbon sequestration of European oak, helps mitigate the emissions associated with shipping, making it a sustainable choice even when transported across significant distances.
Shipping to New Zealand:
When considering the environmental impact of shipping Marchand Flooring’s European Oak flooring from Europe to New Zealand, it’s important to account for the carbon emissions associated with transportation.
Shipping Emissions Calculation:
Sea route: approximately 19,000 kilometers.
Cargo ships emit about 15 grams of CO₂ per ton of cargo per kilometer.
After calculations, the shipping adds about 3.99 kg CO₂ per square meter.
Net Carbon Impact:
Each square meter of engineered European Oak flooring typically sequesters approximately 22.85 kg of CO₂ over its lifespan.
Net Carbon Benefit: 22.85 kg CO₂ (stored) - 3.99 kg CO₂ (shipping) = 18.86 kg CO₂ sequestered per square meter after accounting for shipping emissions.
Energy Consumption and Emissions:
Bamboo:
Bamboo flooring requires significant energy for processing, with steps like boiling, steaming, and high-pressure compression contributing to higher energy consumption. Some studies have showed that energy consumption can increase by 30%-50% to manufacture bamboo compared to oak flooring.
Engineered Oak:
While kiln drying oak consumes energy, the overall manufacturing process for engineered oak generally requires less energy due to fewer intensive processing steps and lower adhesive use.
Adhesive Use:
When creating a healthy home, especially for families, adhesive content matters. Bamboo flooring frequently contains a higher volume of adhesives and resins to strengthen the grass plant into flooring compared to engineered oak, which uses less. This makes engineered oak a preferable option for those seeking to reduce chemical exposure.
FSC certified engineered oak
Key Considerations:
Engineered oak generally exhibits lower energy consumption during manufacturing.
Reduced adhesive use in engineered oak translates to lower emissions and less chemical exposure in your home.
Choosing FSC-certified engineered oak with minimal adhesives enhances its environmental credentials.
Conclusion:
Both bamboo and European engineered oak flooring offer environmental benefits. However, from the available data, engineered oak flooring presents a favorable environmental profile concerning carbon sequestration and energy consumption. Even after considering shipping emissions to NZ, Marchand Flooring’s European Oak flooring continues to serve as a significant carbon sink.