It’s Spring, and we’re enjoying getting outside after a very cold and wet winter. So, we thought it would be a good time to talk about the positive environmental impact of choosing tile for your project.
Ceramic tile has the lowest 60-year environmental impact per square foot across all categories that evaluate how the manufacture and use of a product will affect the well being of humans and our environment. This is made clear when comparing tile’s Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) alongside other materials.
Similar to a nutrition label for foods, EPDs for tile are now available for use by architects and specifiers seeking to satisfy green building project requirements such as those set by LEED and other green building standards. EPDs are reader friendly, comprehensive disclosure statements detailing the environmental impacts of tile made in North America. “In providing summarized data related to tile manufacturing and use – from the raw material extraction process to disposal of tile at the end of its life – the EPD focuses on the green building community’s top concerns, including energy and resource consumption and emissions to air, land and water,” according to Bill Griese, Green Initiative Manager for the Tile Council of North America (TCNA).
The North American EPD was developed by TCNA and its participating members to respond to marketplace demands for transparency in construction materials and to give the design community the documentation they need.
“With the vast majority of tile produced in North America covered by the EPD, virtually all North American-made ceramic tile can contribute toward LEED and various other provisions in green standards, making it a powerful and useful tool for specifiers concerned with sustainable construction,” according to an article Griese wrote in TILE magazine, Jan/Feb. 2015.
The data aggregated to produce the EPD was provided by manufacturers: Arto, Crossville, Dal-Tile Corp., Florida Tile, Florim USA, Interceramic, Ironrock, Porcelanite Lamosa, Quarry Tile Co., StonePeak Ceramics, and Vitromex de Norteamerica. And, of course, all these manufacturers will tell you that tile is only truly Green if it’s installed by a qualified contractor who will make sure its installation is long-lasting!!
Neuse Tile Service 