Dunlop, the tyre manufacturing company, has recently employed the use of coal ash to provide new buildings for a Special Opportunities School in Ladysmith, South Africa.
The Dunlop Ladysmith location is celebrating its 50th anniversary, and in October, announced the project of two new classrooms, and an office to be created for the nearly 70 students with special needs.
The new buildings will be sustainably constructed by Natural Building Collective, which is partnering with Dunlop manufacturer, Sumitomo Rubber South Africa, on the project.
The two will be using sustainable building and circular economy principles in the construction, including natural and upcycled building materials – primarily rammed earth waste tyres from the Dunlop plant – as well as glass bottles supplied by the community for windows, locally made coal-ash bricks produced from waste from the Dunlop plant, roof rainwater harvesting, and a passive solar design.
Sumitomo Rubber SA CEO, Lubin Ozoux, said: “The sustainable building principles of this project align with our journey to achieve net zero carbon emissions by 2050.”