At a time when many durable goods are striving to be “more green,” one old standby was green when green wasn't cool. Metal roofing, in use for hundreds of years, already has most of the “green” benefits that homeowners are looking for.
Metal roofing is typically made from recycled metals. The amount of recycled content depends on the metal being chosen; generally steel has the least recycled content, copper a little more, and aluminum has the greatest amount of recycled content—in some cases as high as 97 percent! The great thing about recycled aluminum content is that most of it is post-consumer content: the beverage cans that so many of us do make the effort to recycle.
Metal roofs are also very energy efficient, with many styles and colors actually Energy Star Certified as Cool Metal Roofs. This is contrary to some people's natural assumption that metal roofing will make a building hotter. In fact the reflective properties of the metal (again, especially aluminum) coupled with reflective finishes and oftentimes an airspace between the metal and the wood substrate, all combine to provide far greater energy efficiency than asphalt shingle roofs.
And instead of tearing off old asphalt shingle roofs and piling them in already-crowded landfills, metal roofs are often installed directly over the failed asphalt shingle roof. Each system will have its own methods of accomplishing this, and some require wood battens or furring strips while others do not. It is generally the light weight of metal roofs that allows them to be installed in this manner.
Finally just the fact that metal roofs last so long is another green aspect. Instead of replacing an asphalt shingle roof (a petroleum-based product, by the way) every 12-15 years, a metal roof can easily last 40-50-60 years or more with the right materials and finishes used. And in addition to the recycled metal already IN metal roofing, the entire roof is fully recyclable at the end of its very long service life. Instead of being landfill waste, a weathered metal roof has real value.
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