8 Sustainable Roofing Materials

Sustainable roofing isn’t a new concept. It dates back centuries, with ancient civilizations using natural and locally-sourced materials to create thatched, clay, and wood roofs. These were some of the earliest eco-friendly roofing materials, they all feature sustainability hallmarks such as renewable products with a low environmental impact. 

For a time, industrialization meant less interest in these environmentally-friendly materials. That is, until the 20th century, when people became more conscious of their effect on the environment. With this realization came a call for sustainability, and companies began working on modernized, sustainable roofing materials.

Top Sustainable Roof Materials

Whether you call them eco-friendly roofing materials, green roofing materials, or sustainable roofing systems, they all refer to the same thing: roofing materials that minimize their effect on the environment using sustainable, energy-efficient, and often recyclable materials. These roofing options help to reduce energy consumption, improve a home’s insulation, and generally help to reduce your negative impact on the environment. Some of the top sustainable roofing systems include:

1. Wood Shakes and Shingles

Wood is, without question, the oldest and most environmentally-friendly of all green roofing materials. Though, there is a catch: the wood needs to be sustainably sourced. 

Wood is considered sustainable because it is a renewable and biodegradable resource that offers insulating properties, which helps with energy savings and reduces your carbon footprint. 

However, sustainability can decrease if you have to transport the shakes or shingles across a considerable distance, which increases the carbon footprint. Preservatives and synthetic additions can also reduce their sustainability. Wood roofing is high maintenance and requires special coatings to protect the roof from moisture and fire damage.

2. Terracotta Roofing

Another environmentally-friendly roofing option is terracotta clay tile roofing. These tiles, like wood shakes and shingles, have been around since ancient times. They are popular for their durability, versatility, and thermal insulation properties, which help to regulate indoor temperatures. The raw materials used for terracotta tiles are easily sourced locally and can be manufactured using recycled materials. 

3. Living Roofs

Possibly the most unique sustainable roof is a living roof. A living roof is when a flat or low-sloped roof is either fully or partially covered in vegetation, typically native plants. 

These roofs contain a waterproof membrane covered in a growing medium and the chosen plants. These are considered sustainable roofing because they help to lessen the heat island effect, which can lessen your reliance on cooling systems, to minimize your energy bill and carbon footprint. 

4. Solar Roofing

Another of the unique roofing materials is solar roofing. This type of roofing essentially uses solar panels integrated directly into the roofing material, to allow homeowners to generate clean, renewable energy. This helps lower energy bills and reduces reliance on fossil fuels, for reduced greenhouse gas emissions. 

5. Metal Roofing

While metal roofing requires a lot of energy to manufacture, it is still an eco-friendly roofing option for many reasons. Unlike traditional asphalt shingles, it is a long-lasting option that doesn’t require frequent replacement. It can also be manufactured using recycled metals and will reflect the sun’s rays to help lower energy costs and greenhouse gas emissions, which adds to its sustainability.

6. Slate Roofing

Slate is a beautiful, natural material with a long lifespan and is incredibly durable, and it is another of the sustainable roofing options on the market. Its longevity and durability also mean it is reusable at the end of its lifespan. It is important to note that slate as a sustainable roof comes with some caveats; slate mining, processing, and transporting uses many resources, so the sustainability lessens the farther it has to travel. 

7. Cool Roofs

Cool roofs are more of a subsection to environmentally-friendly roofing. These sustainable roofing solutions are designed to reflect more sunlight than the average roofing material to help keep homes and buildings cooler and lessen the strain on cooling systems. This reduces energy costs and the reliance on the system, which helps minimize greenhouse gas emissions to reduce a homeowner’s carbon footprint. 

A cool roof can be white or light-colored, or it can be colored using special pigments that have reflective properties. 

8. Composite or Synthetic Roofing

One of the most sustainable roof materials today is composite (or synthetic) roofing. These materials are made using rubber or recycled plastics and other sustainable materials; that means that not only does using recycled materials keep waste out of landfills, but using these materials or rubber ensures that the synthetic tiles can be recycled again at the end of their lifespan.

They provide superior durability, including impact, fire, and wind resistance. They offer insulating properties, and many brands also offer cool roof color options. One of the best parts of choosing a synthetic roof is that they offer realistic appearances that mimic the look of popular materials like cedar shakes, slate, and barrel tiles. They also require minimal maintenance to save you time and money.

Getting an Eco Friendly Roof with Florida Specialty Roofing

At Florida Specialty Roofing, we offer many of the sustainable roof materials on this list, including everything except living roofs and solar roofing. Our specialty, however, is synthetic roofing, which is probably the best option for an eco friendly roof, especially if you want something low maintenance. We offer three brands of synthetic, sustainable roofing solutions:

Brava

Brava has been in business for many years, and proudly offers eco friendly roofing materials that resemble slate tiles, cedar shakes, and Spanish barrel tiles. Their tiles are manufactured using 100% recycled materials that have been diverted from landfills. They have the highest fire and impact ratings and are HVHZ-approved. Brava comes in numerous color options, with four cool roof colors. 

DaVinci

DaVinci is another brand of synthetic, eco-friendly roof materials. The brand offers realistic slate and shake tiles made from an engineered polymer with virgin resin. The tiles are 100% recyclable, and like Brava, they also have the highest fire and impact ratings possible and are high-wind certified. Both products come in beautiful, natural colors. 

EcoStar

EcoStar is another brand of synthetic roofing that offers synthetic shade and cedar shakes. The tiles are made using a combination of recycled rubber and plastic, which is injection-molded to create various slate and shake styles in various color options. Products have Class C and Class A ratings and are impact-resistant.

Contact Florida Specialty Roofing today to learn more about synthetic roofing and how it is the best option when you are looking for sustainable roofing options.