Transport

Natural stone requires relatively little processing, which means transport can represent a significant part of its overall carbon footprint. The distance stone travels between extraction, manufacture and the finished project should therefore be carefully considered when comparing materials.

Albion Stone extracts and manufactures Portland Stone on the Isle of Portland in Dorset. Our mines are located close to our factory, helping to limit transport before the finished stone begins its journey to the project.

The importance of locally sourced stone

The further a building material travels, the greater its transport related carbon emissions are likely to be. Long supply chains may include several road journeys, shipping routes and additional handling before the material reaches site.

Independent research commissioned by the Mineral Products Association found that transport emissions increase considerably as stone is sourced further from its final destination. The research concluded that transport can outweigh extraction and processing emissions where long international supply chains are involved. This evidence is discussed in Local Stone - Loopers.

For projects in London and the South East, specifying Portland Stone extracted and manufactured in Dorset can provide a lower carbon alternative to stone imported over much longer distances. For a typical London project, selecting Portland Stone instead of imported Portuguese limestone could reduce transport emissions by approximately 89 per cent. 

Read more about how local sourcing can reduce transport carbon by 89 per cent.

Extraction and manufacture in one location

Our Portland Stone is extracted from underground mines and manufactured at our factory on the Isle of Portland.

The close proximity of our mines and factory reduces the distance that raw blocks need to travel before they are cut, shaped and finished. It also avoids the complex supply routes that can occur when stone is extracted in one country, processed in another and then delivered to a project elsewhere.

Keeping extraction and manufacture close together provides greater transparency over the journey of the stone and helps limit transport emissions before delivery to site.

Learn more about our Portland Stone mines.

Maximising delivery efficiency

We seek to use the available capacity of every pallet and vehicle as efficiently as possible. Careful production planning and packing help us maximise each delivery, reducing unnecessary vehicle movements while protecting the finished stone in transit. 

Our approach includes:

• Planning deliveries around project requirements
• Maximising the amount of stone carried on each suitable vehicle
• Reducing unnecessary or partially loaded journeys
• Packaging stone securely to limit damage and replacement
• Combining deliveries where practical
• Using recyclable packaging materials

All packaging used for our deliveries, including pallets, shrink wrap and packing sheets, is recyclable. 

Considering transport during specification

Transport should be considered at the beginning of the specification process rather than after a material has been selected.

Architects, designers and contractors should consider:

• Where the stone is extracted
• Where it is cut and manufactured
• Whether it travels between different countries for processing
• The distance between manufacture and the project
• The likely mode of transport
• Load efficiency and packaging
• Whether independently verified environmental information is available

Environmental Product Declarations provide important information about extraction and manufacturing. Project specific transport should then be assessed alongside this data to provide a more complete picture of embodied carbon.

Research by Make Architects explores the embodied carbon associated with transporting construction materials.

Reducing travel associated with our operations

Transport emissions are not limited to product deliveries. The daily travel of employees, customers and visitors also contributes to the environmental impact of a business.

The majority of our Portland workforce lives close to our operations. We support more sustainable travel through a cycle to work scheme and encourage employees and visitors to use public transport or share vehicles where practical. 

As suitable technology becomes available, our objective is to continue replacing company and operational vehicles with electrically powered alternatives. We will also continue to assess lower carbon fuels where electrification is not yet practical.

Reducing the transport impact of Portland Stone

Transport is an important part of the whole life environmental impact of any building material. Efficient extraction and manufacturing can be undermined if a product then travels over a long and complex supply chain.

By extracting and manufacturing Portland Stone in one location, maximising delivery loads and supplying projects from a British source, Albion Stone helps reduce unnecessary transport and provides project teams with a clear and transparent supply route.

For projects in London and across the South East, locally sourced Portland Stone can make a meaningful contribution to reducing transport related embodied carbon.

Learn more about why Albion Stone is the environmental choice.