wienerberger Eco-Brick wins ‘Best Sustainability Product’ at the Housebuilder Product Awards 2026 

wienerberger’s Eco-Brick has been crowned ‘Best Sustainability Product’ at the Housebuilder Product Awards 2026, recognising its outstanding contribution to low-carbon, energy-efficient housebuilding in the UK. 

This award highlights Eco-Brick as a leading innovation in a sector increasingly focused on delivering high-performance homes while reducing environmental impact.

A Prestigious Industry Recognition

The Housebuilder Product Awards are among the most respected accolades in UK residential construction. Now in their 14th year, the awards were established to celebrate products and systems that support new home development.

They are backed by key industry bodies including the Home Builders Federation (HBF) and NHBC, with judging panels made up of experts from major housebuilders, sustainability organisations and industry leaders.

Winning an award in this programme demonstrates that a product:

• Solves real challenges on-site
• Improves build quality and efficiency
• Supports regulatory compliance and environmental targets
• Delivers measurable value to developers

Eco-Brick’s success in the sustainability category confirms its relevance to all of these priorities.

Why Eco-Brick stood out

Eco-Brick was developed with a clear goal: to reduce carbon without compromising performance.

Unlike standard facing bricks, Eco-Brick features a slimline profile, 35mm narrower than traditional bricks, while retaining the strength, durability and appearance expected from masonry construction.

This concept of “doing more with less” - is central to its environmental impact.

Key sustainability benefits include:

• Up to 31% reduction in upfront embodied carbon per square metre of brickwork 
• Reduced raw material and energy use during manufacturing.
• Up to 37% fewer transport journeys, thanks to more bricks per load.
• Up to 5 tonnes of CO₂ saved on a typical 100-home development.
• Lower mortar and water usage on site.

These efficiencies combine to deliver a significantly lower environmental footprint compared to traditional brickwork.

Supporting better-performing homes

Eco-Brick’s benefits extend beyond construction and into the long-term performance of homes.

Its slimmer profile creates additional space within the wall build-up, allowing for:

• Up to 37.5mm extra insulation 
• Improved thermal efficiency and EPC ratings
• Reduced energy consumption for homeowners
• This means Eco-Brick contributes to reductions in both:
• Embodied carbon (during construction) 
• Operational carbon (during the building’s lifetime)

A key factor as the UK moves toward increasingly stringent energy standards.

Built for real-world housebuilding

While sustainability is critical, products must also be practical. Eco-Brick delivers clear on-site advantages:

• 36% lighter weight, improving handling and reducing fatigue risk.
• Compatible with traditional bricklaying techniques, requiring minimal retraining. 
• Potential cost and programme efficiencies through reduced material use.
• Greater flexibility in design, including increased living space or insulation

This combination of performance and practicality is likely a key reason it impressed the judging panel.

What this means for the industry

The housebuilding sector is under pressure to:

• Comply with Part L and the future homes standard.
• Meet net zero targets 
• Deliver high-quality homes at scale

Eco-Brick offers a solution that addresses all three, without introducing complexity to the build process.

Its recognition at the Housebuilder Product Awards also means it will now compete for the overall ‘Product of the Year’ at the Housebuilder Awards later in 2026, further underlining its industry impact. 

A step forward for sustainable construction

Eco-Brick’s win is more than just an award, it’s a signal of the direction the industry is heading.

By rethinking a core building material, wienerberger has demonstrated how innovation can deliver:

• Lower carbon construction 
• Improved energy performance
• Practical benefits for housebuilders

In short, Eco-Brick proves that meaningful sustainability gains don’t require radical change, just smarter design.