Blog
Beginners guide series: What are the environmental impacts of geosynthetics?
13 August 2024
David Fisher
Head of Geosynthetics Sales
At first glance, geosynthetics can seem to have a negative impact on the environment. They last a long time, are made of plastics and polymers, and are embedded into the earth. But there is increasingly a requirement for geosynthetics to be developed to last hundreds, if not thousands, of years. While they might seem to harm our environment, when you dig deeper the narrative is very different.
Geosynthetics to open up new construction opportunitiesBy using geosynthetics over traditional methods, civil engineers can increase construction opportunities. Geogrids, geotextiles, geocomposites can all play a part in reinforcing weak or poor quality ground. They enable previously unusable land, such as brownfield, to be used for construction projects. While that might seem a negative in terms of emissions, the positive is that it can save greenfield land from infrastructure projects. Enabling it to remain green and undeveloped for future generations. Geosynthetics to reduce your carbon footprintGeosynthetics introduce time and cost savings to your civil engineering and construction projects. They are more cost effective than traditional methods, and geocomposites can also reduce time on-site by combining materials rather than requiring separate journeys or installation processes. Geoworks geosynthetics are focused on reducing whole-life carbon. This can be achieved through:
Geosynthetics for sustainabilityAt Geoworks, sustainability is key to our geosynthetics. We focus on providing geosynthetics with a long design life so that while single-use plastic is used within the construction project, it will have a long life. Our aim is for specifiers, contractors and asset owners to choose our products and processes as they have sustainability and emission reduction at their core. Geoworks: committed to the environment.We measure and monitor carbon emissions across our supply chain to ensure our geosynthetics reduce your environmental impact. Our focus is not just on carbon reduction but to maintain the natural landscape through our geosynthetics. Our ProtectaWeb product supports tree growth and development on any type of landscape. Our savings calculators are one way to see how sustainable geosynthetics can positively impact your carbon footprint. Or talk to our team for support and advice on innovative environmental solutions for your civil engineering projects.  |
