Sustainability
Burlington Stone is inherently environmentally efficient. The natural cleavage in Burlington slate, formed by the metamorphic processes it has undergone, dominates the original bedding and we work the stone using these cleavage planes provided by nature. Cleavage is used both to extract block from the quarry face, minimising the amount of sawing and blasting required, and to split (‘rive’) the stone for roofing slate and architectural stone, completely removing the need for sawing and machining; it truly is a low carbon natural material.
Burlington Slate Limited was established in 1843 and is a family run, British business with long traditions and values, where quality control and effective management and use of the natural slate reserves are important corporate goals.
The production of random sized roofing slates, for laying in traditional diminishing courses, makes efficient use of all of the varied sized block that is won from the quarry face, helping to ensure that 100% of the quarried stone is used. This increases yields which reduces the volumes required to be extracted, minimising environmental impact and extending the life of the quarry.
As a result of its geology, Burlington slate and stone are incredibly robust, hard wearing and extremely long lasting, and the use of a natural stone that will last the lifetime of the building it serves is sound environmental practice. Burlington roofing slates are of such high quality, lasting 200 to 300 years and more, that they are very commonly re-used after timber roof construction or fixings fail and roofs need to be re-slated, or where buildings are re-purposed. In these scenarios the existing slates can be stripped, re-dressed and re-used, further enshrining their status as some of the most environmentally appropriate natural materials in the world.
The use of ‘local’ British roofing slates on British projects ensures environmental efficiency and avoids the high and environmentally damaging ‘slate miles’ encountered by using imported slates on projects in the UK.
The cleavage planes created by the metamorphic process during the formation of our slate give Burlington’s stones an enormous flexural strength and extremely low porosity making them ideal for use as a cladding and lining and suitable for use at very thin section. Being able to use the stone at thin section reduces the tonnage required to cover a building, making Burlington an environmentally efficient option and minimising cost.
The company is certified to ISO 14001 environmental accreditation and aims to utilise 100% of the rock extracted from its quarry operations through the extensive recycling of all waste elements, important for BREEAM and LEED certification in building construction.
In addition to the natural environmental benefits inherent in Burlington Stone, we are well on our way to achieving a genuinely zero carbon slate and stone offer, with solar and wind generation being installed and utilised to remove any requirement to use carbon generating processes in the production of our natural slate and stone.
Water is increasingly a scarce resource across the world. We collect water naturally from the fells by our quarries and production facilities and we recycle 100% of the water we use in the production of our natural slate and stone products, removing any need to import this scarce resource.