Clay Brick Association Engages Government on Carbon Tax Burden

The Clay Brick Association (CBA) recently engaged directly with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE) and National Treasury to discuss the increasing burden of the carbon tax and its impact on the sustainability of the clay brick industry. This engagement was made possible through an initiative supported by Clyde Brickfields, which opened the door for meaningful dialogue with government.

EPCAM continues to serve as a valuable repository of historical emissions data, capturing information from 2015 onwards. This consolidated dataset streamlined the development of sector-level overviews and enabled the CBA Carbon Committee to demonstrate measurable emissions-reduction progress. A study based on data from a sample of brick makers also highlighted the financial strain caused by the carbon tax, showing that the sector has limited remaining capacity to invest in hard-to-abate emissions that require significant capital investment.

In collaboration with Brundtland Consulting, the CBA Carbon Committee developed and refined key arguments to present to Government. Following engagements with Treasury and DFFE, two proposals gained traction:

A tax exemption for waste-to-energy combustion emissions.
The classification of body-fuel emissions as process emissions, which would qualify for an additional 10-percentage-point discount.

These proposals were submitted to National Treasury in October for consideration in the upcoming budget cycle.

This process reinforced the importance of accurate, consolidated data when engaging with government. Members are encouraged to use EPCAM when preparing their GHG submissions in March to verify data and strengthen sector-wide advocacy. All submissions remain confidential, with only aggregated, non-site-specific information shared.

Download PDF or view below.

CBAVoice_2025-10v1_Email

[/vc_row]