Building a better future with cleaner bricks Clay brick production in South Africa produces large emissions of greenhouse gases due to the use of old, energy-inefficient clamp firing systems. To solve this problem SDC is supporting the South-South technology transfer of the Vertical Shaft Brick Kiln. This energy-efficient technology considerably reduces coal consumption and cuts CO2 emissions by half. The first pilot plant was inaugurated in September 2011 in Jeffrey’s Bay, Eastern Cape.