Rethinking green roofs- natural and recycled materials improve their carbon footprint

Green roofs contribute to climate regulation and urban heat island mitigation, thereby counteracting heat stress. Ecosystem services of green roofs are discussed, but their production and demolition processes have not been fully addressed. In this study, a life cycle analysis (LCA) was conducted to assess the possibility of creating of a carbon-neutral green roof and to evaluate and compare the global warming potential (GWP) of two green roofs: 1) a conventional green roof (GR-c) with expanded clay, pumice, and compost in the substrate and a polypropylene drainage, and 2) an alternative green roof (GR-a) with recycled bricks and compost in the substrate and a cork drainage. LCA refers to a functional unit (FU) of a 218 m2 green roof (substrate depth of 9 cm; lifespan of 40 years). The results showed that the use of a brick substrate can reduce the GWP to 3139 kg of CO2 eq/FU (−50%) and the use of cork drainage to 441 kg of CO2 eq/FU (−69%). Apart from production, demolition was a key element required for further improvement, accounting for 32% (GR-c) and 55% (GR-a) of the GWP. Once produced, a green roof can take up 783 gCO2/(m2·a) because of plant uptake. To become CO2-neutral, a GR-c and GR-a would have to last 88 and 53 years, respectively. Furthermore, the GWP was influenced by green roof maintenance and plant CO2 uptake. We concluded that recycled bricks and cork are promising green roof materials. [Display omitted] •Calculation of CO2 amortization time spans in terms of plant carbon sequestration.•Recycled and renewable materials reducing carbon footprint of green roofs by 73%.•Life span and demolition as crucial processes to enhance sustainable development of built environment.