Ceramic Tiles of Italy Green Forum

Designed and Produced Responsibly.
Italian tile manufactures’ LEED-compliant products

There are many underlining factors that make tile a sustainable choice. To start, tile is an inert material manufactured from raw materials and will break down naturally at the end of its life. It is non-toxic and durable, boasting a lifecycle of over 50 years. In terms of production and responsible management, Italian tile manufacturers are organized in industrial districts and have direct control on the environmental and social impact of their manufacturing operations (air, water, waste) as well as the local trade of their products.

Recognizing these sustainability efforts, many Italian tile manufacturers have received certifications such as the prestigious Eco-Label (the European Union label certifying environmental safeguards), EMAS, and ISO 14001 for their commitment to sustainability and environmental management systems. These manufacturers include: Atlas Concorde, Ceramiche Caesar, Casalgrande Padana, Marca Corona, Kermont, Ceramiche Refin, Ceramiche Supergres, FAP Ceramiche, Florim, Impronta Ceramiche, Marazzi, Mirage Granito Ceramico, Novabell, Polis Manifatture Ceramiche, Rondine Group, Cerdomus, Porcellana di Rocca, Gres 2000, Leonardo 1502, Panariagroup Industrie Ceramiche and Mapei.

To meet the sustainable requirements of the U.S Green Building Council (USGBC), Italian manufacturers are also offering a number of LEED-compliant tile collections that help contribute LEED points to new construction and renovation projects.

Now all Panaria products are produced with 20%-40% pre-consumer recycled materials. Furthermore, those made in its US factory are quarried within 500 miles from the factory. Similarly, Lea products are made with 20% pre-consumer material and 45% of its raw materials are quarried in the 500-mile radius. Impronta’s “Sands,” Caesar’s “Change,” Novabell’s “Ecosystem,” Atlas Concorde’s “Trust,” Viva’s “Hanger,” Ergon Engineered Stone’s “Tetris,” Emilceramica’s “Marrakech,” Marca Corona’s “EcoLiving,” Ragno’s “Textile,” Sant’Agostino’s “Earth,” Refin’s “EcoLeader” and “StoneLeader,” RHS’s “Dorada” and Pastorelli’s “Opera” all boast at least 40% recycled content.

Recently, Casalgrande Padana announced that it is producing more than twenty of its top collections using a percentage of recycled content, ranging from 27% to and outstanding 70%. These collections include: Ardesia, Natural Slate, Pietre Runiche, Rock, Old Season, Rapolano, Metalwood, Pietre di Sardegna and Basaltina, among others. In addition, Casalgrande Padana incorporates a “closed cycle process”, which allows all components to be recycled virtually without emissions or dispersions. Environmental certifications including ISO 14001 and EMAS are further evidence of the company’s commitment to the planet.

Mapei, Italy’s leading producer of grout, adhesives and sealants, dedicates over 70% of its R&D efforts towards formulating ecologically sustainable products and systems. To this day, Mapei has manufactured over 110 LEED-compliant products.

To further help architects and designers source this sustainable products, Ceramic Tiles of Italy has launched the 2.0-version of S_Tiles (www.s-tiles.it). The site will offer a continually updated reference gallery with catalogs and information on Eco-Label and LEED-compliant tiles from Italy.

Click here to read about new sustainable products and technological innovations from Cersaie 2009

Ceramic Tiles of Italy has produced its “Green Card” - a quick guide which details the top 10 reasons when Italian ceramic tile is sustainable. Click here to download Ceramic Tiles of Italy Green Card.

Click here to read about Ceramic Tiles of Italy commitment to green building and sustainability.