Scottish cleantech company Kenoteq is set to begin large-scale production of its innovative K-BRIQ, a building material made from nearly 100% recycled construction and demolition waste. This follows the K-BRIQ's certification by the British Board of Agrément (BBA), the UK's leading construction certification body.

The BBA certification means the K-BRIQ can now be used in a wide range of construction projects, including facades, feature walls, and brick plinths. Kenoteq is initiating commercial production at its East Lothian facility, with an initial capacity of two million bricks per year, scaling up to four million as demand requires. The company also has plans for future regional production facilities across the UK and internationally.

According to Kenoteq, the K-BRIQ offers a sustainable alternative to traditional clay bricks, producing 95% less embodied carbon due to its unique manufacturing process. The product has undergone several years of rigorous testing, achieving the maximum durability rating possible under BBA certification.

Sam Chapman, co-founder and executive director of Kenoteq, said: "This certification marks the arrival of a truly transformative building material for the construction and interior design industries. Unlike approaches that simply treat the symptoms of construction's environmental impact, the K-BRIQ addresses the root cause by directly tackling the waste crisis while delivering a product that performs exactly like traditional materials, including the clay brick."

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Chapman added: "Securing BBA certification allows our product to be specified with confidence on commercial projects across the UK. We've already seen significant interest from leading property developers, architectural firms and public sector bodies committed to reducing the carbon footprint of their construction projects."

The K-BRIQ has also received certification for use in the United States via the DrJ Technical Evaluation Report (TER), and European certification is in progress. Kenoteq reports receiving enquiries from around the world.

The company highlights the environmental challenges the K-BRIQ aims to address. Traditional brick production depletes finite resources, and the construction sector is a major contributor to landfill waste. The UK relies heavily on imported bricks, with significant environmental consequences. Kenoteq states that construction, demolition, and excavation waste accounts for approximately 60-65% of total waste generated in the UK, with 50-60 million tonnes specifically being construction and demolition waste. The K-BRIQ can be manufactured within 24 hours of the processed waste arriving at Kenoteq's factory.

"The construction industry is under increasing pressure to reduce its environmental impact while maintaining high standards of quality and safety," said Chapman. "The BBA certification of the K-BRIQ demonstrates that these goals are not mutually exclusive – we can build better while building greener."

Kenoteq reports that the K-BRIQ has achieved 100 tonnes of carbon savings in demonstration projects. A standard UK two-bedroom house, which typically requires around 12,000 bricks, would create 5.46 tonnes of CO2e using standard clay bricks, compared to 0.2 tonnes of CO2e using K-BRIQs.

Katy Roberts, Sales and Marketing Director at the British Board of Agrément, said: "The BBA is proud to play its part in helping clients like Kenoteq bring innovative and sustainable new products into the market. In a sector where safety, performance, and trust are non-negotiable, third-party certification plays a crucial role in enabling innovation. Independent certification provides a rigorous, evidence-based pathway for new products to gain market acceptance. It reassures stakeholders, supports regulatory compliance, and ultimately helps turn groundbreaking ideas into real-world construction solutions."

The Medero Dark Grey K-BRIQ variant has achieved an A-class fire rating, enabling its use in high-risk buildings. The K-BRIQ is available in 12 colours, using recycled pigments. The BBA certification enables the K-BRIQ to be used in various building applications, satisfying insurance, warranty, mortgage and third-party liability requirements.

Early projects using K-BRIQs include installations at Scotland's National Retrofit Centre at BE-ST, Oaklands College in St Albans, a Kaufland hypermarket in Germany, and Gail's Bakery locations.