Part 1 – The Basics

by Scott Conwell, FAIA, FCSI, LEED AP, Director of Industry Development International Masonry Institute

Reducing our carbon footprint with tile: Part 1 – The Basics

by Scott Conwell, FAIA, FCSI, LEED AP, Director of Industry Development International Masonry Institute

In this age of increasing awareness of climate change, carbon emissions, and conservation of our natural resources, it has become essential to approach building construction in a way that respects our environment. The goal of the design and construction industry is to use environmentally friendly, durable, and resilient building materials. Ceramic tile is the natural choice for achieving that goal, and TCAA contractors should have the ability to communicate the sustainable benefits of tile to their customers, clients, and stakeholders. This article is the first in a 6-part series about the many ways ceramic tile contributes to sustainable project goals by… just being tile.

Anecdotally, we have always known that tile and stone are durable and sustainable materials, and with the industry’s research and documentation on materials and performance, we now have the data to prove it. From its manufacturing, its transparency in reporting material ingredients, its long service life, and its installation by qualified labor, ceramic tile can help reduce the global warming potential of our buildings.

Manufacture of Tile

Ceramic tile is manufactured from raw materials that are plentiful and naturally occurring - ingredients you can actually pronounce, like clay, feldspar, and cement. These natural materials are extracted from the earth, mixed together, pulverized, spray-dried, formed into shape, then glazed and fired, creating a strong and durable product. Techniques like water recovery during drying and the use of abatement filters to capture dust emissions during firing have greatly reduced the impact of tile manufacturing.

The result is a material that is resistant to moisture, abrasion, impact, fire, bacteria, and mold… a product that, when installed by trained and qualified BAC tile installers and TCAH contractors, will last a lifetime.

In the next installment, we will talk about how the raw materials used to manufacture ceramic tile are inventoried, assessed, and ultimately disclosed using standard reporting mechanisms like Health Product Declarations (HPD) and Manufacturer Inventories (MI), required by LEED and other sustainability rating systems, empowering architects and specifiers to make informed decisions about the products they specify for their projects.