Practical, measured, published.
ESG at EBM
The Carbon Credentials framework
For every product backed by an in-date, third-party verified Environmental Product Declaration, we publish a Carbon Credentials block on the product page. The block shows four things:
- kg CO₂e per square metre of brickwork — embodied carbon for the cradle-to-gate life cycle (A1–A3, per EN 15804+A2).
- A band from A+ to E across a six-step scale used consistently across the catalogue.
- The EPD reference the figure is drawn from, with a direct link to the published PDF.
- Country of manufacture and a biogas-fired kiln flag where the manufacturer has switched fuels.
We produce the band automatically from the published kg CO₂e/m² value. We do not adjust bands by hand and we do not estimate figures where a manufacturer has not published one.
How the bands work
The band scale runs from A+ down to E and covers the full range we see in clay products today.
kg CO₂e / m² · A1–A3
A+ products exist but are rare. They tend to be biogas-fired, thin-format, or contain a high proportion of secondary/reclaimed material. Most premium handmade brick currently sits in B or C. Large-format thin clay tile commonly lands in A or A+ because the firing mass per square metre of finished façade is much lower.
EPDs explained
An Environmental Product Declaration is a third-party verified document that reports a product’s environmental impact across a defined life-cycle scope, calculated against a recognised Product Category Rule. EBM uses the EN 15804+A2 framework, the European standard referenced by BREEAM, RIBA 2030, the GLA Whole Life-Cycle Carbon assessment and most UK private client reports.
The Carbon Credentials block displays the EPD reference number and links directly to the published PDF where the issuer hosts one. The figure we publish is the cradle-to-gate value (A1 raw material supply, A2 transport, A3 manufacturing). Installation, use phase and end-of-life are reported separately when the manufacturer publishes them.
Filtering by carbon performance
The materials catalogue at ebmsupplies.com/materials/ carries a Carbon Credentials filter in the left sidebar. You can:
- Show only products in a chosen band (A+, A, B, C, D or E)
- Restrict the list to EPD-verified products only
- Restrict the list to biogas-fired kiln products only
The product counts beside each option are live and reflect only the products currently published with verified data. Coverage is expanding manufacturer by manufacturer through 2026.
Coverage today
We publish Carbon Credentials data for the products whose manufacturers have provided current, in-date EPDs. Today that runs to an initial cohort across the Danish and Dutch ranges; UK-manufactured ranges are being added as the producers refresh their EPDs through 2026.
If a product page does not yet show a Carbon Credentials block, the reason is one of three:
- The manufacturer has not published an EPD.
- The published EPD is out of date and is being refreshed.
- The EPD exists and is in date, but has not yet been processed into our system.
We have made a deliberate choice to publish only verified figures. We do not estimate, scale or model carbon numbers where the manufacturer has not published one. Better to leave the block off than to publish a figure that cannot be defended in a planning submission or a BREEAM model.
Our sourcing principles
EBM’s approach to environmental performance is rooted in the products themselves, not in marketing claims.
Long-life clay. Fired clay brick has a documented service life well beyond 100 years. Whole-life carbon is dominated by replacement cycles — solid masonry pulls ahead of short-life cladding systems.
European manufacture. We work with kilns in Denmark, the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany, the UK and Turkey. Sea freight on full pallets is materially lower carbon per tonne than long road runs.
Specifying biogas where it exists. The switch from natural gas to biogas can take cradle-to-gate emissions down by more than 60 per cent.
Reclaimed and secondary content. Where a manufacturer uses recycled brick rubble or secondary aggregate, the EPD already reflects it in the A1–A3 figure.
Specifying with EBM
If you are putting carbon figures into a planning submission, a BREEAM model or a private client report, our team can:
- Confirm which products on your chosen palette have verified EPDs.
- Pull the underlying EPD PDFs together as a single project pack.
- Flag where a switch (for example to a biogas-fired variant) would meaningfully change your A1–A3 number.
- Highlight where Whole-Life Carbon (modules A1 to C4) is available rather than just cradle-to-gate.
Speak to our team about carbon figures for your project.
What this page does not do
EBM does not publish a corporate net-zero target, scope-3 inventory or carbon offset programme on this page. We are a specialist materials merchant; the meaningful carbon signal we can give a project is the embodied carbon of the products we supply, drawn from manufacturer EPDs and presented unedited. If you need broader company-level disclosure for a procurement questionnaire, write to us and we will respond with what we hold.