Chelmer Valley clay
The Environmentally Friendly Choice
Few materials offer the sustainability of clay pavers. Using only clay, sand and water, Clay Pavers are manufactured in a closed loop system in which all the clay goes in to making the bricks, with zero discharge of water. The finished product is extremely hard-wearing, frost-resistant, stain-resistant, easy to clean with household detergent, and fade-proof. Clay Pavers are also particularly suitable for reuse, because the unbound method of installation makes them easy to reclaim, with little waste. They may also be crushed into aggregate for paths and growing substrates; because they contain no dyes or toxins and so they carry no danger of leachate contaminating the surrounding soil. However, it is their long-lasting good looks with their ability to weather beautifully, alongside their damage-resistance, that truly make them an environmentally friendly choice as, once laid, they become a much-admired hard landscaping feature that you won’t want, or need to replace.
Lifetime value
Sustainable Clay
The perception of sustainability suggests high quality durable clay pavers, having a long service life and incorporated within a high quality adequately designed scheme, delivers negligible environmental impact by providing a good ratio of the energy, water and raw material consumption needed for the production of clay paving over its expected lifetime.
Natural Colour
Non Fade Colours
Synthetic products such as coloured pigments are not used in any part of the manufacturing process. Materials are quarried close to the surface in selected natural mineral deposits giving rise to various fired colours depending on the clay involved.
Manganese oxide and iron oxide are used to achieve certain hues, with glazes and engobes also used in order to achieve certain shades. As the firing temperature exceeds 1100 degrees centigrade fusing the colour throughout the paver, clay pavers will not fade.
Shop by colour
Lifetime value
Length of Service Exceeds 125 Years
Whilst there is evidence of clay paving being used around 4,000BC in the Middle East, historically clay paving in the UK can be traced back to the 15th Century and more recently during the Industrial Revolution. Footways, in particular and towpaths associated with the canals and waterways in the Midlands, an area once synonymous with brick manufacturing, clay paving can still be seen to be performing today. Furthermore, there is a rich history of clay paving on the Continent, particularly in the Netherlands, where clay paved areas supplied some 150 years ago are still in use.
Superior characteristics
Technical Properties
Chelmer Valley Clay Pavers consist of specific clays and sands fired at higher temperatures, providing excellent technical qualities, durability resisting frost, excellent transverse strength, abrasion resistance and resistance to chemicals typically associated with hard landscaping situations such as road salts etc. Clay paving does not polish under intensive use and retains its slip/skid resistance.
This long service life plays a significant role in defining the sustainability of clay paving. The natural resources used in the production of new clay paving products are conserved by ranging its original environmental impact over this extended period of time.
Natural materials
Recyclable
Clay, sand and water are the natural raw materials used in the production of clay pavers, the majority of which are extracted from local sources which minimises harmful emissions from transporting.
Depending on the location of the factory, the clay can be either sourced on site, or taken as a waste material from other mining operations when clay is the ‘over burden’ to alternative minerals or stone quarrying.
Easy clean
Maintenance
Clay pavers are extremely durable with staining from oil, fuel, foodstuffs etc. easily removed. It is suggested a maintenance cleansing once a year is beneficial to sustain the ‘as new’ look.
As Chelmer Valley provide an extensive range of pavers, some being unique in their texture and size and supplied from a number of factories, each production facility aims to achieve sustainable and ecological advancements and comply with ISO 14001 Environmental Management System Certification or the European KOMO Certification together with the Benor Certification.
Our Environmental responsibility ensures our objectives continue to comply with legislation and environmental regulations to improve the environmental performance, ensuring all tasks relating to these goals are integrated into environmental management system procedures..
Maintenance advice
Professionals' Perspective
We all have a responsibility to protect our beautiful natural world. At Chelmer Valley we take this responsibility seriously and consider the environmental impact of our products and operation at every stage. By engaging our entire team and continually evaluating our processes, we aim to improve our environmental performance year on year and make what is already a low impact paving solution, the most ecologically sound choice available.
Local materials
Local Extraction Minimising Transport
Clay, sand and water are the natural raw materials used in the production of clay pavers, the majority of which are extracted from local sources which minimises harmful emissions from transporting.
Depending on the location of the factory, the clay can be either sourced on site, or taken as a waste material from other mining operations when clay is the ‘over burden’ to alternative minerals or stone quarrying.
Thinking ahead
Land Reclamation
To reduce the utilisation rate of clay pits and limit reclamation areas, raw materials released from major infrastructure projects and dredged commercial water courses are utilised to prevent soil surpluses.
Following completion of clay pit excavations, the quarried areas are returned to fertile agricultural land or re-instated as nature reserves or scenic recreational areas.
100% Raw Material = 100% Brick
Environment
Minimising Waste – Closed System Production Process
The paver production process, known as a closed loop system, takes waste raw clay and waste from thermal production (fired rejects) and uses that in part as raw material substitute, mixed with quarried clay for the production of new products. This ensures new paver production is 100% efficient where 100% raw material = 100% brick.
Ground water/recycling of rainwater used in the production cycle circulates in a closed circuit, so not a single litre of industrial wastewater is wasted. This is known as a zero-discharge process.
Thinking ahead
Recycling Clay Paving
Clay pavers previously supplied to projects can be taken up and cleaned to be reused. It should be noted that the remaining lifetime of the re-laid clay pavers is dependent on previous use, the climatic conditions and the professional relaying of the pavers.
In addition, clay paved surfaces previously used can be crushed, the broken paver fragments processed in specialist quality monitored companies and re-used for the production of aggregate for path and sports ground construction, provide a growing substrate for green roofing and substrates for trees and plants in gardening and landscaping. No toxic substances are added, and because brick is an inert material it does not give off any noxious or allergenic substances and presents absolutely no danger of soil contamination.