Modern homeowners are increasingly more interested in green building materials that can help them minimize their impact on the environment. That includes eco-friendly siding options.
So what does a sustainable siding option look like? It’s one that uses the most efficient and least damaging manufacturing processes possible, features a long lifespan with minimal maintenance needed, and can be recycled at the end of its lifespan.
For those reasons, steel is an excellent choice for your siding project — and below, we’ll dive into the details to show you why and how it compares to other siding materials.
What Makes Siding Eco-Friendly?
Eco-friendliness and sustainability involve more than how a material is sourced or whether it is recyclable. When evaluating different types of siding for environmental friendliness and sustainability, consider all of the following factors:
- Raw materials: Sustainable siding options will be made from either renewable natural materials or recyclable materials.
- Manufacturing: In order to be considered environmentally friendly and sustainable, the manufacturing processes used to produce a siding material should be energy efficient, produce relatively few emissions, and have a relatively small carbon footprint.
- Lifespan: Materials that last longer mean less waste, which means the longer the lifespan, the more sustainable the material.
- Finishing and maintenance: Fewer harsh chemicals is better for the environment. For example, steel siding that never needs to be repainted or refinished will be more eco-friendly than wood that will need regular painting, staining, or sealing.
- End of life: Once the siding has reached the end of its lifespan, how can it be reused? Materials that can avoid entering the waste stream by being repurposed or recycled are more sustainable than those that will end up in landfills.
All of these factors combined will help you determine whether a siding material is truly sustainable or not.
For example, lumber harvested from a forest that isn’t being managed responsibly will be less sustainable than vinyl or steel siding that is made from primarily recycled materials. On top of that, the lumber will need to be finished and refinished regularly, which introduces harsh chemicals and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) into the environment.
What Is the Most Eco-Friendly Siding Option?
Wood, vinyl, fiber cement, and steel are usually considered to be the top eco-friendly siding choices out there. Let’s take a look at each in turn.
Wood Siding
Of all the siding choices available, natural wood siding is generally considered one of the most sustainable options when it comes to the production of raw materials. Most lumber in the United States comes from working forests that are sustainably managed through responsible forestry programs — and with only 2% of these forests being harvested each year, the environmental impact of raw material production is relatively low.
Fact: Up to 90% of the wood used in paper and lumber production in the United States comes from sustainably managed forests.
In fact, roughly 10% of all forests worldwide are certified by the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC), which is a non-profit organization that promotes sustainable forestry practices. On top of that, scrap wood, sawdust, bark, wood fibers, pulp, and other byproducts created during the manufacturing process can all be recycled to produce other materials, like engineered wood siding.
In terms of its lifespan, wood can last 30-50 years with proper maintenance — but that maintenance requires you to repaint every few years, which can release toxic chemicals into the environment.
When wood reaches the end of its useful lifespan, another problem arises: Most wood siding isn’t recyclable. Unfinished, untreated wood that hasn’t started to rot or deteriorate can be repurposed as reclaimed wood. However, by the time wood siding reaches the end of its lifespan, it will have seen several coats of paint, stain, or sealant, and it’s liable to have rotten spots, insect damage, or other types of deterioration, all of which make it unsuitable for recycling.
Vinyl Siding
Vinyl is often touted as an eco-friendly siding option, but when you take a closer look, this material can be problematic too. To start with, vinyl siding is made with PVC, which contains petroleum-based plastic resins — and petroleum is neither green nor renewable.
While vinyl siding manufacturers may use environmentally friendly processes, the oil production behind petroleum products is often very harmful for the environment. On top of that, vinyl siding has a relatively short lifespan at just 20-30 years in some areas (and sometimes only 10 years in more extreme environments), which means it’ll enter the waste stream sooner than most other materials.
Fact: Roughly 1.9 billion pounds of vinyl products end up in U.S. landfills yearly.
The plus side is that vinyl requires only minimal maintenance, and it doesn’t need to be repainted, so you’ll release fewer chemicals into the environment during the material’s lifespan.
However, at the end of that lifespan, more troubles arise. Only about 35% of all PVC in the United States — including things like PVC pipe and other products — gets recycled. It can be difficult to find a recycling facility that will accept vinyl since many aren’t equipped to handle it. Because of this, some homeowners may prefer a vinyl siding alternative that’s more eco-friendly.
Fiber Cement Siding
When it comes to raw materials and manufacturing processes, fiber cement siding’s main trouble spot is Portland cement, which is a key ingredient. Globally, cement production accounts for 8% of all CO2 emissions, and the mining process depletes local resources like clay and limestone.
That said, some fiber cement products hold GREENGUARD Gold certifications for low-emission products. All fiber cement products contain cellulose fibers from wood pulp, which is a sustainable material, and many are also largely made from recycled materials.
Fact: Some fiber cement products are made with 70% recycled materials.
Fiber cement siding also has a longer lifespan than wood or vinyl, lasting up to 50 years or more with proper upkeep. However, that maintenance does include the need to repaint or refinish the fiber cement every few years.
While it isn’t common, fiber cement can also be recycled as crushed aggregate to be used in concrete blends. Notably, fiber cement doesn’t leach toxic chemicals into soil and ground water, so even though it’s always best to keep as much as possible out of the waste stream, fiber cement siding is highly regarded as a material that doesn’t prove hazardous in landfills.
Steel Siding
Like most materials, raw steel production also has an impact on the environment, both in regard to mining practices that damage local ecosystems and emissions created during the manufacturing process.
However, unlike most building materials, steel is the most recycled material on the planet — and this goes a long way toward offsetting the damage caused by the production of raw materials. In the United States, roughly 70% of steel is made from recycled scrap, including siding and roofing materials.
Fact: As the most recycled material on the planet, up to 81% of all steel products are recycled at the end of their lifespan.
Steel siding also boasts one of the longest lifespans of any material, lasting up to 70 years or longer. On top of that, it’s fully recyclable. The majority of steel siding used today, once it reaches the end of its lifespan, will be bound for recycling facilities that can process it into crude steel to produce new products.
TruLog steel siding comes with another eco-friendly advantage that most other types of siding can’t offer. Because it features a foam backer plus trim and accessories designed to seal any gaps in the siding, it has an R-value of 4, which makes it more energy efficient than most other siding types and boosts the siding’s return on investment.
When it comes to maintenance, metal siding stands out in this area too. TruLog Steel siding, for example, comes with a 30-year paint protection warranty. In other words, this is a pre-finished product that you should never have to refinish — and that means not only will you enjoy low-maintenance siding, but you also won’t have to worry about releasing chemicals into the local ecosystem by repainting your home every few years.
To keep it looking great, all you need to do is clean steel siding once or twice a year with a hose or pressure washer.
How Steel Siding Rates Among Eco-Friendly Siding Materials
As you can see, different siding materials have different pros and cons when it comes to sustainability and green building. The direct comparison below will show you exactly why steel is one of the best siding products available if you’re looking for eco-friendly siding options.
Is Steel Siding Environmentally Friendly?
Not only is steel siding an environmentally friendly option, but it’s arguably the most eco-friendly choice available. Check out the chart below to see how it stacks up against the alternatives across a variety of categories, including recyclability, lifespan, maintenance, environmental cost of production, end-of-life impact, and energy efficiency.
| TruLog Steel Siding | Wood Siding | Vinyl Siding | Fiber Cement Siding | |
| Recyclability | Fully recyclable | Not recyclable | Limited recyclability | Recyclable, but rarely accepted at facilities |
| Lifespan | 40-70 years | 30-50 years | 20-30 years, may only be 10 years in some areas | 30-50 years |
| Maintenance | Minimal | Regular painting, staining, or sealing required | Minimal | Regular repainting and recaulking required |
| Environmental Cost of Production | Medium, but offset by high recyclability | Low | High (made with petroleum) | High (energy-intensive process, requires non-renewable Portland cement) |
| End-of-Life Impact | Low, as it’s highly recyclable | Biodegradable, but toxic finishes can contaminate soil and water | Often ends up in landfills, releases toxins into soil and water over time | Likely to end up in a landfill, but not particularly toxic |
| Energy Efficiency | R-value of 4 (with foam backer) | R-value of 1 | R-value of 0.61 (for standard uninsulated vinyl) | R-value of 0.37 (uninsulated) and 2.5 (insulated) |
Are Recycled Materials Used in Steel Siding?
As noted, 70% of steel products in the United States are made with recycled materials, and 81% get recycled at the end of their life cycle. With this in mind, you can rest assured that almost all steel siding products are made using recycled materials — and that includes TruLog’s steel siding.
Build Green With TruLog Steel Siding
When it comes to sustainability and eco-friendly siding options, TruLog steel siding is one of the best options. While many other siding options have sustainable or environmentally friendly benefits, few others can boast all of the eco-conscious advantages of steel. It’s made with recycled materials, requires minimal maintenance, features a long lifespan, and is fully recyclable.
Ready to get started on your green siding project? Download our free catalog to see the styles and colors available.
