95% of construction demolition waste that is recycled in Scotland is predominantly downcycled. Kenoteq is a new Scottish start-up that wants to address the issue with its first product: the K-Briq, a brick made of +90% recycled material from construction and demolition waste (C&D). By closing the loop in the recycling of building materials and components, the K-Briq produces only one tenth of the carbon footprint of traditional fire-clay materials and uses 100% zero-waste production processes (compared to 10-20% waste in normal brick manufacturing). This innovative product is flexible and versatile for every style and fashion of the moment, and it can be recycled infinitely.

The construction sector uses more natural resources than any other sector in Scotland, consuming about half of all resources used nationally annually. This is mainly due to its demand for aggregates, which totals 29 million tonnes each year. Construction and demolition work is also responsible for nearly half of all Scotland’s waste annually. Some 95% of construction demolition waste is recycled in Scotland but it is predominantly downcycled.  

Kenoteq produces the K-Briq. Made of +90% recycled construction and demolition (C&D) waste from Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)-certified C&D recycling plants, it produces only one tenth of the carbon footprint of traditional fire-clay materials. The processes used are 100% zero-waste (compared to 10-20% waste in normal brick manufacturing) and help to close the construction material loop. The product is SEPA approved and in the final stages of receiving BBA certification. It is a different concept to others on the market. It is flexible and versatile for every style and fashion of the moment, and it can be recycled infinitely. Thanks to its innovative nature, Kenoteq is actively collaborating with Heriot-Watt University for research and development.

The K-briq uses +90% recycled construction and demolition (C&D) waste from Scottish Environment Protection Agency (SEPA)-certified C&D recycling plants.

The K-briq produces only one tenth of the carbon footprint of traditional fire-clay materials.

The production processes used are 100% zero-waste (compared to 10-20% waste in normal brick manufacturing) and help to close the construction material loop.

Kenoteq is a small company in the process of scaling up. It plans on expanding the number of staff on site and in the office and purchasing new machinery to reach a target of 3 million bricks per year. Once the K-Briq will be well established, the company will have developed other capabilities to enter the market with other circular-economy-based products. However, the company acknowledges that, while technical skills from the construction, demolition and manufacturing industries are very valuable in this busines, new recruits need to have a different mindset than in more linear companies. They have to firmly believe that the future of construction can be sustainable and want to contribute towards this.

The team currently consists of: 

- Chief Executive Officer has a background in building materials life-cycle assessment and runs the company. 

- Chief Technical Officer has a civil engineering background and leads the technical development of the K-Briq. 

- Technical and Operations Engineer has a background in structural engineering with architectural design and leads all testing and (ISO) certification of materials. 

- Operations team. On-site working on the manufacturing of the brick, skilled technicians with experience in construction and know how to handle valves, big quantities of materials, etc. and are hands-on: 

- Operations Manager has a background in on site operations, oversees the functioning of the manufacturing process. 

- Two Operators working under the Operations Manager’s supervision.