A Concrete Answer To Plungie’s Carbon Footprint
Plungie has always been an innovator in the pool industry. From day one, we’ve used a patented, monolithic pour to create the strongest, watertight structures at the lightest possible weight. Our streamlined production process has also sped up concrete pool installation by up to 74%. Plungie CEO, Cameron Levick, credits off-site manufacturing for many of these efficiencies.
“We produce Plungies in a factory, and we get a lot of efficiencies because of this. We use less concrete in the pools because we have smaller walls and can design and engineer it accurately to reduce waste,’
Because concrete is an energy-intensive material, we believed that our manufacturing process would also give Plungie competitive advantage when it comes to environmental impact.
We decided to put our pools to the test and undertake a comprehensive life cycle assessment (LCA) that would show exactly how our carbon footprint compares to competitors. The study compared our best-selling model (and the world’s largest monolithic pre-cast pool), the Plungie Max, with an on-site built alternative to see how they stacked up.
What Does The LCA Take Into Account?
The LCA is a cradle-to-grave analysis that evaluates the potential environmental impact of a Plungie Max. This includes the greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions produced during the whole life cycle of the pool, including raw materials, manufacturing, upstream and downstream transport, construction and end-of-life recycling. Conducting such an extensive analysis was a must for Levick.
“The report goes beyond calculating the carbon footprint during the Plungie Max pool's construction phase to include corporate travel, the worker commute, and every detail until the pool's eventual removal and recycling 25 years down the line,”
Why Did We Undertake The LCA?
As leaders in the pool industry, we believe in continuous improvement. The LCA allowed us to assess our current GHG emissions and identify life cycle opportunities for improvement.
Although no Plungies have been in market long enough to be recycled, we wanted to explore end-of-life recycling and repurposing options as part of minimising our overall environmental impact. This is something that sets us apart from pool manufacturers that use non-recyclable options like fibreglass.
“Fiberglass is one of those products that's not good for the environment at all. There's no way to recycle or repurpose it or turn it into anything else, so it ends up as landfill,” says Levick.
The Importance Of Carbon Footprint In Construction
With buildings responsible for approximately 18% of direct carbon emissions in Australia, there is pressure on the construction industry to reduce the environmental impact of its products and services. As proud members of this industry, we want to be part of the solution rather than contributing to the wider problem. We don’t believe in burying our heads in the sand and ignoring market shifts.
For example, the introduction of Green Star ratings has set a new standard for sustainable buildings, allowing construction companies to demonstrate leadership and innovation in the industry. By undertaking this analysis, we wanted to create transparency around our current environmental impact as that is becoming the industry standard.
