Ceramic Tiles of Italy Green Forum

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

CERAMIC TILES OF ITALY COMMITMENT TO SUSTAINABILITY

To exemplify Ceramic Tiles of Italy commitment to sustainability, the industry sponsored two seminars at Dwell On Design 2011 held in Los Angeles Convention Center, June 24-26.

Ceramic Tiles of Italy Design Competition winner Hagy Belzberg, of Belzberg Architects, presented: "Sustainable Materials. Case Study: Kona House." While the Kona Residence in Kona, Hawaii features many 'green' qualities including a sophisticated water catchment system, photovoltaic panels, and teak siding, the focus of this case study is the choice of Italian porcelain tile used throughout the home. Italian tile was chosen because of its high performance in harsh environments and its ability to withstand the extreme sun, chemicals from the local volcano and sea salt. LINK

Ron Jones, sustainability expert and Editorial Director of GreenBuilder, presents "Sustainable Ceramics. Case Study: ReVision House." The presentation on this energy-saving retrofit home, designed by Patricia Gaylor, focuses on ceramic tile used throughout the Orlando (FL) home because of its durability, lifespan, non-toxic emissions and resistance to extreme weather conditions. LINK

DON'T MISS OUR NEW "REVISION HOUSE" VIDEO

Designed by Patricia Gaylor, GreenBuilder's energy-efficient retrofit home, ReVision House, features nine Ceramic Tiles of Italy manufacturers including: Casa Dolce Casa, Emilceramica, Floor Gres, Imola, Mapei, Marazzi, Ragno, Refin, and Trend. From pre and post consumer recycled content to resistance from weather, chemicals, water and moisture, Italian tile is one of the most eco-friendly design materials on the market. In this video, Ceramic Tiles of Italy takes a closer look at the home and talks about the top 10 sustainable attributes of Italian tile as well as their contribution to environmental certifications such as USGBCs LEED and the European Eco-label.  LINK

Florida High Performance Green House Wins Coverings Project:Green Remodel Featuring Italian Tiles from Coem, Fioranese & Trend

The Italian tile industry was well represented in Coverings PROJECT Green competition, taking home two top honors. Featuring a range of eco-friendly tiles from Coem, Fioranese and Trend, the "Florida High Performance Green House" project in Cape Coral, Florida, won one of four Best in Shows for PROJECT: Green, Residential Remodel selection at the Coverings 2011 conference. Designed by Green Building Consultant Paul Shahriari, the home focuses on the cost/benefit of green building using a triple bottom line structure (environment, economic and social). Thanks to their green attributes and high performance characteristics, Shahriari chose porcelain tiles from Coem's Quartz range for exterior use and Fioranese's Nu_Travertine series for the interior. Coem's "Pietre Naturali" collection brings texture and a natural color variation to the lanai and outdoor living area. Inside, 18"x18" tiles from Fioranese's "nu_travertine" were selected for their modern lines and the gentle linear pattern they create throughout the main floor of the home. The project also includes an innovative line of mosaic tiles from Trend and their Trend Q surface material in the kitchen and laundry room.  MORE

PROJECT: Green award for "Best in Show: Residential Remodel"

The ReVISION House Orlando '11 recently won a PROJECT: Green award for "Best in Show: Residential Remodel" at the Coverings 2011 Conference. PROJECT: Green is sponsored in conjunction with Environmental Design & Construction and highlights sustainable projects featuring tile and stone from the past two years. Products from 9 Italian tile manufacturers were used both indoors and out.  MORE

Surface and Size Meets Sanitary and Sustainable

REDUCE, REUSE and RECYCLE are three key words that will be heard around the world. Thanks to advances in technology, new slim formats use less material and help to REDUCE the Italian tile industry's carbon footprint. Unlike previous years, the tendency is moving towards tiles that are 4-5mm thick as this size is strong enough for high-traffic floors and more sustainable to produce and ship. The compact thickness means it takes a smaller amount of energy and raw materials to produce and causes a lower level of harmful emissions to transport. In terms of installation, the slim format tiles can be laid over existing hard surfaces, therefore cutting down on construction costs and saving valuable time. This size is also an ideal surface solution for ventilated wall facade systems or radiant heating. In addition to innovative formats, the use of pre and post-consumer RECYCLED content is on the rise. Everything from raw waste to recycled glass from bottles and obsolete cathode ray tube (CRT) TV monitors is being REUSED and recycled back into the production process. Water, another key component in the process, is also being reused to preserve natural resources. Finally, manufacturers are moving towards packaging materials, including boxes, cardboards, plastics and crates that are completely recyclable.

Sustainable Products and Technological Innovations from Cersaie 2009

Recycled content and responsible production processes that reduce waste and water and lower energy consumption were top of mind for just about every Italian tile manufacturer at Cersaie. Addressing the sustainable movement head-on, many are actively promoting their green platform. Never complacent, the Italian tile industry is using state-of-the-art new technologies to produce more eco-friendly slim formats, new forms of solar paneling and even an antibacterial tile. MORE.

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. MORE

Ceramic Tiles of Italy Encourages Green Building and Sustainability

The environmental commitment has long been a European standard, even before the eco-revolution took hold of the US market. The Italians were the first to begin with reducing their carbon footprint through state-of-the-art facilities, sustainable production and certifications including the prestigious European Eco-label (the European Union label certifying environmental safeguards), EMAS and ISO 14001. MORE

Media About Sustainable Italian Tiles

Floor Covering News. November 2009. Tile: How retailers can educate end users on being green.

TileLetter. August 2009. Ceramic Tiles of Italy encourages green building and sustainability.