Green Certification for Tile Products Debuts
ANDERSON, S.C. – The Tile Council of North America (TCNA) announced a new sustainability standard today for tile and tile-installation products.
The Green Squared Certified program, developed in the past five years, will include hundreds of products available at the start of the Coverings trade event this month from eight product manufacturers – with more products and producers slated to be certified within the year.
“This early adoption, within just a few months of the passage of the Green Squared (SM) ANSI standard,” says Eric Astrachan, TCNA executive director, “is a clear indication of the commitment North American manufacturers have made to sustainable manufacturing and sustainable products, in many cases starting years ago when conversations began regarding an industry standard for sustainability.”
Products independently evaluated and certified by a third party can qualify for the Green Squared Certified mark. Manufacturers with products already certified include Crossville, Ironrock, and Porcelanite Lamosa; before Coverings begins, certification of some products should be completed for Daltile, Interceramic, LATICRETE International Inc., MAPEI, and Marazzi.
Bonsal American, Florida Tile, Quarry Tile Company, StonePeak, TEC, and Vitromex expect to have Green Squared Certified products by the end of 2012.
Products covered by Green Squared include ceramic and glass tiles, grouts, mortars, trowelable membranes, polymer additives, backer boards, underlayments, and crack isolation/waterproof membranes.
Green Squared products must meet all mandatory requirements and a specified number (depending on product type) of elective requirements, providing a total package that reflects the full range of environmental considerations.
Because sustainability shouldn’t be defined by a single attribute, Green Squared takes a multi-attribute, balanced approach by establishing criteria for environmental and social issues, including environmental product characteristics, environmental product manufacturing and raw material extraction, innovation, end of product life management and progressive corporate governance. (See the criteria chart here.)
Currently, the approved third-party Green Squared certifiers are NSF International, Scientific Certification Systems, and UL Environment.
“Manufacturers looked at the breadth of their operations and made significant improvements to meet the multi-attribute criteria of the standard,” Astrachan says. They are to be congratulated for their willingness to do so, and their willingness to bring in outside certifiers to verify and substantiate their claims.”
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