Are you looking for ways to transform your kitchen but keep your carbon footprint low?

“Reducing our impact on the environment is a goal many of us share,” reveals Steve Vanhinsbergh, director of stoneCIRCLE, an expert stonemasonry company in Basingstoke.

“When renovating your kitchen, the best way to achieve this is by selecting sustainable materials, and natural stone is one of the most eco-friendly choices you can make.”

Below, Steve reveals five reasons why natural stone is one of the most sustainable materials to use in a home renovation project.

1. Natural stone is the oldest sustainable material

When it comes to durability, natural stone has better credentials than any other material. It has existed for millennia and will outlast any other material when used as kitchen worktops and flooring. 

Great British Life: For stunning kitchen counters, explore stoneCIRCLE's extensive range of granite available in subtle and bold shades.For stunning kitchen counters, explore stoneCIRCLE's extensive range of granite available in subtle and bold shades. (Image: stoneCIRCLE)

2. It has a low carbon footprint

Man-made worktop materials such as laminate, and other man-made flooring materials like vinyl and ceramic, often involve energy-intensive manufacturing processes which frequently use chemicals.

The fabrication process for natural stone, however, has a much lower carbon footprint than the vast majority of other materials. It is quarried, cut and given a surface finish to produce worktops and flooring.

Great British Life: stoneCIRCLE's plant uses solar panels and rainwater and greywater collection and recycles offcuts.stoneCIRCLE's plant uses solar panels and rainwater and greywater collection and recycles offcuts. (Image: stoneCIRCLE)

Environmental impact can be reduced even further by choosing a local stone as the transportation from the quarry to the stonemason is the largest contributor to natural stone's carbon footprint.

To increase the sustainability of the worktops and flooring it supplies, stoneCIRCLE's plant uses solar panels and rainwater and greywater collection and recycles offcuts.

Great British Life: Choosing a local stone to use in your kitchen reduces carbon emissions as fewer miles are needed to transport it from the quarry to the stonemason.Choosing a local stone to use in your kitchen reduces carbon emissions as fewer miles are needed to transport it from the quarry to the stonemason. (Image: stoneCIRCLE)

3. You can recycle natural stone at the end of its life

Natural stone is easily recyclable – and can be reused or broken up for mosaics or hardcore.

4. It's easy to maintain

Stone can be cleaned with gentle household detergents with no need for harmful chemicals, helping you become greener.

5. Design a sustainable kitchen that looks good

By choosing natural stone you can create an environmentally friendly kitchen which is still stunningly beautiful.

Great British Life: The stone is quarried, cut and given a surface finish to produce stunning kitchen worktops and flooring.The stone is quarried, cut and given a surface finish to produce stunning kitchen worktops and flooring. (Image: stoneCIRCLE)

There are hundreds of different granites to choose from to use for your kitchen worktops, in everything from bold shades of green, red and black to subtle beiges and creams. Limestone, sandstone, slate or granite can be used in a matching or complementary shade on the floor.

To find out more about natural stone and to discuss your kitchen remodel, visit stone-circle-home.com.

Call 01256 850380 or email sales@stone-circle.com to book a consultation and get your home renovation underway.