There is a lot of greenwashing going on right now. You can't turn the corner without running into a product that's labeled "green." Engineers tend to be a very skeptical audience so perhaps, in this case, the damage done by irresponsible marketers and spin-doctors is mitigated by the sophistication of the audience. We believe it is reckless nonetheless. Some competitive pipe manufacturers are making claims about their "green" products.

To which we can only say: "REALLY?"

When the full spectrum of "cradle to grave" impact on the planet is considered, no product can meet the environmental standard set by vitrified clay pipe.

Cradle – The Raw Materials
Clay pipe products are made from various types of shale and clay, which are the natural decomposition product of stone. It is an abundant, naturally occurring group of materials found all over the country.

Manufacture of a Green Product
Compression and heat are added to the raw materials to form them and essentially convert them into a chemically inert ceramic. There is zero waste generated in the manufacture of clay pipe and total energy consumption has been shown to be roughly half that of the manufacture of other materials.

Service Life
Of course, lifecycle and durability are an important component of the actual environmental impact of any product. This has always been one of the strongest arguments for specifying clay pipe. While some manufacturers make wild claims about the theoretically possible lifecycle of their products, only clay pipe has a demonstrated performance history on which it can be judged.

The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers assumes a one hundred year service life for clay pipe while the Canadian National Research Council-Institute for Construction Research estimates the service life
at one hundred thirty-two years. We believe these estimates are very conservative. Terry Martin, Seattle Public Utilities, projected an expected service life of the clay pipe in his system at between 300 and 400 years in a paper presented at the ASCE Pipelines Conference in 2008.

Grave – End of Life Issues
Vitrifi ed Clay Pipe is as close to permanent as any material can be for gravity sewer applications. Due to its long lifecycle, the fact that it is chemically inert and its environmentally friendly composition, there are really no long-term disposal or decay concerns.

Other pipe products present varying concerns, the most troubling of which is the disposal issues surrounding plastic pipe. Today we know that all thermoplastic pipe release hazardous chemicals when they are buried. With its relatively short usage history, there is definately a question about whether the user has all the data needed to make nformed, environmentally sound decisions about using thermoplastic pipe.

In the end, it’s not easy being green. While many materials makegreen claims, vitrified clay pipe is, and always has been, the most environmentally friendly and sustainable product available.