ECO by Cosentino, a line of countertops and surfaces made from 75 percent recycled material, has received Cradle to Cradle Silver certification from McDonough Braungart Design Chemistry.
Cosentino S.A., an international firm best known as a stone importer and manufacturer of natural stone quartz surfaces, announced the certification this month of the environmentally friendly line that it introduced in April.
MBDC C2C certifications are conferred for environmentally-intelligent product design. The certification criteria take into account both the components and the manufacturing process for a product. Certifications are awarded at four levels: basic, silver, gold and platinum.
Cosentino's ECO line, used chiefly for kitchen and bathroom surfaces, is made from post-consumer or post-industrial recycled mirrors, post-consumer recycled glass, post-industrial recycled ceramics from porcelain crockery to bathroom fixtures, crystallized ash from industrial furnaces and stone scraps.
Different combinations of the recycled materials are used to vary the color and then are mixed with stone scraps and bound with a corn-oil based resin to produce the surfacing material in slabs and tiles. Ninety-four percent of the water used in the process is recycled, according to the company.
The product can be used in commercial and residential settings. It is nonporous, does not require sealers, and its use can be counted among the points submitted in applications for certification by the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design Green Building Rating System.
Cosentino is based in Macael, Spain. Its North American headquarters are in Stafford, Texas, near Houston.
Image courtesy of Cosentino.