ENERGY MANAE E E E T
GGMMNNT & & SUUSTINAB L T T
SSTAAINAIBILIYY
TILING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
The tile specification sector is facing the challenge of how to become more sustainable and provide facilities managers with tile products that provide long-life, while improving the environmental footprint of manufacturing and end-of-life.
Tiles are specified in many facilities because of their hardwearing nature and low maintenance that makes them a suitable option with excellent value throughout use. However, ceramic and porcelain tiles require significant energy to produce and end of life disposal, as with many products in the built environment, remains a challenge. So, what can the industry do to alter this status quo and provide tiles that retain long-life and ease of maintenance, but also reduce environmental impact?
Efficiency in manufacturing Improving the manufacturing efficiency and reducing the energy consumption of porcelain and ceramic tile production is certainly one way to lower environmental impact.
Ceramic and porcelain manufacturers are already implementing green energy sources such as solar to reduce emissions, as well as developments such as heat pipe exchangers that recapture lost energy from kilns to be used elsewhere in the production process. With around 50% of the energy input lost through the kiln flue and cooling gas stacks, recapturing this thermal energy and using it in the production provides a significant improvement in energy efficiency when making ceramic tiles, somewhere in the region of 60-90%.
With energy accounting for anywhere up to 30% of production costs and fossil fuels a rising expense,
48 | TOMORROW’S FM
Dan Little, Chair of the Group Sustainability Council and Managing Director of Parkside and Strata Tiles, explains how the tiling industry is responding to climate change and reveals the company’s own carbon neutral target.
manufacturers are now heavily invested in making sure that their processes reduce emissions. For example, such has been the drive to sustainability by Italian tile manufacturer Florim that it is now a Certified Corporation B company, a sizeable feat for any production-based organisation.
Production innovation While clay is a renewable natural material, it is slow forming so there is a rate at which we may extract more clay than can be significantly formed. The extraction process also has environmental impacts, and while responsible companies carefully manage the resource and surrounding environment, the need to find more sustainable alternative materials is one that’s increasingly recognised by tile manufacturers.
A research project at the University of Central Lancashire to explore ways in which waste and low-value materials destined for landfill could be re-purposed into versatile surface materials, has seen Professor David Binns and Dr Alasdair Bremner develop a tile made from glass, ceramic and mineral waste. Available through Parkside and Strata Tiles, Sequel is made from 98% recycled content.
Apart from recycled content, using different raw materials, that are more readily renewable or derived from the waste of other production processes, could also provide an alternative. Developed during an extensive five-year R&D project by a team of designers and material engineers, Criaterra represents one such tile. Made from natural materials, entirely recyclable and entirely biodegradable, it’s a true zero-waste wall tile that uses up to 70% upcycled content from quarry waste (stone powders), clays and plant fibres.
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