No products in the cart.
Sustainable Surfaces
The sustainability of a ceramic surface depends on the equilibrium between product and process. It implies considering the lifecycle in its entirety, from raw material to manufacture, through to the use of locations and management over time.
From this perspective, we believe sustainability means a coherent approach to quality, including the network of industrial partners with whom we produce our products and the tools that support architectural design.
A surface isn’t sustainable because its declaration says so.
Its sustainability is achieved when it’s chosen appropriately and retains its reliability over time.
A choice is responsible when it considers context, requirements and durability, and is supported by a clear policy.
This is how sustainability becomes a practical criterion, which guides decisions and priorities throughout the lifecycle.
Sustainability of Kronos surfaces
We focus on four factors that make our surfaces’ sustainability genuine and verifiable.
Durability and performance: a surface that retains its characteristics over time means fewer replacements or repeat jobs, helping to reduce the overall impact throughout the entire lifecycle.
A surface’s sustainability is mainly measured over time.
A large proportion of a material’s environmental impact is concentrated in phases including manufacturing, transport and installation.
If a surface is replaced frequently, this impact is repeated.
If, on the other hand, it retains its characteristics over the long term, the same initial “cost” is shared over more years of use, as the need for new materials and installation works is reduced.
For porcelain stoneware, sustainability depends on one crucial factor: the lifecycle.
Stoneware is the outcome of an energy-hungry, high-transformation industrial process.
Therefore, it’s a common mistake to get its sustainability wrong, by only assessing the initial impact.
Durability: when the surface is right for the context
Durability isn’t an abstract concept.
It depends on the right specification for the real use.
Choosing a surface correctly, with the appropriate specifications for the context, reduces errors in application, corrective work and premature replacements.
In practice, it means assessing:
- the environment and conditions of use (indoor/outdoor, whether water is present, weather, dirt and abrasion).
- intensity of use and traffic (residential, hospitality, retail, public locations).
- safety and functional requirements (for example in wet locations or working areas).
Continuity of appearance and performance
A durable surface isn’t only “tough”.
It’s a surface that retains its performance and appearance over time, conserving locations’ perceived quality and value.
What really matters:
- stability with regard to wear and functional stresses
- maintenance of appearance and aesthetic character
- reduction of invasive repair works
Routine maintenance: sustainability in daily management
Sustainability also embraces what happens after installation.
Simple, repeatable, context-appropriate care reduces the need for extraordinary maintenance procedures and helps to keep the surface in optimal condition over time.
In the case of porcelain stoneware, given the material’s intrinsic characteristics and the surface’s stability routine cleaning is generally simple and repeatable, and can be adapted to the demands of the specific use.
Materials and circularity: materials and solutions chosen to reduce waste and conserve resources, while still fulfilling technical and quality requirements.
Porcelain stoneware is made from natural raw materials, including clays and feldspars, which are transformed into a compact, stable surface. Circularity refers not to one value in isolation but rather to a process that includes the material’s entire lifecycle, before and after use of the locations concerned.
Production circularityThis means reducing waste and conserving resources throughout the process.
In stoneware, it involves above all two actions: recycling and controlled management of processing scrap and, when technically possible, the inclusion of recycled material in the product’s composition, without any reduction in quality and performance.
On average, our products contain 30% recycled material, varying depending on the collection, size and thickness.
In some products, especially in 2 cm thickness, the recycled material content may be higher, even exceeding 50%, without impairing technical and performance specifications.
End-of-life circularity
When a surface is removed and replaced, the material can be recycled.
In practice, it’s often used as a substrate or aggregate, helping to reduce landfill disposals and limit the use of new resources in applications of this kind.
The same principle also applies to the scrap generated during bespoke shaping procedures. In the K-LAB bespoke design process, offcuts are carefully managed and recycled when possible, to reduce waste generation even further.
Accountable, transparent production: a controlled industrial process, based on qualified, certified partners, governance standards, certification and clear information to support architectural projects.
Production is one of the highest-impact phases in a surface’s lifecycle.
As a result, sustainability depends not only on which product is chosen but also on where the surface is manufactured and who with.
Kronos knows that the choice of manufacturing partners is also a sustainability factor.
We work with well organised businesses with a high level of industrial know-how, able to guarantee the necessary standards in processes, inspections and documentary transparency, essential in making the approach auditable throughout the lifecycle.
Operating efficiency and proximity: we operate from modern headquarters designed to reduce consumption and waste, using renewable energy and ensuring careful management of resources.
All our paper packaging is made from recycled paper and is itself recyclable.
We use “certified heat treated pallets”, disinfected using heat and not toxic gases.
At the same time, we’re committed to supply chain proximity, to reduce distances and restrict the impact of transport.
Certifications
Certifications provide transparent proof of how our products are manufactured.
On the one hand, they confirm that the organisation operates in accordance with structured management systems, audited by third parties, while on the other hand they supply documents and declarations for the individual products, available for consultation and use during the architectural design phase.
Genuine support for informed choices in the design process and for clear responses to sustainability goals.
PRODUCTION SYSTEM CERTIFICATIONS
System certifications confirm the application of structured processes, audited by third parties, on quality, the environment and energy.
UNI EN ISO 9001 – QUALITY
ISO 9001 confirms implementation of a quality management system based on control of processes, traceability and continual improvement.
In practice, it means:
- standardisation of production phases and inspections
- reduction of nonconformities, reworking and rejects
- continuity of results and reliability in the supply of products
UNI EN ISO 14001 – ENVIRONMENT
ISO 14001 relates to environmental management and the organisation’s ability to identify, control and improve the environmental factors related to its business.
In real terms, this means:
- structured management of emissions, waste and resources
- oversight of compliance with regulations and requirements
- improvement objectives and monitoring of indicators
UNI EN ISO 50001 – ENERGY
ISO 50001 focuses on energy management and requires a structured system to measure, analyse and continually improve energy performance.
For a high energy-consuming industry like ceramics this is a crucial indicator because it implies:
- monitoring and optimisation of consumption in the phases where most energy is used
- improvement plans with targets and regular audits
- energy governance integrated in industrial choices
PRODUCT CERTIFICATIONS
When it comes to architectural projects, sustainability becomes tangible when it’s supported by documents available for consultation and relevant to the chosen product.
Therefore, depending on the collection, size and market of destination we are able to make available product certifications and declarations of use for specifications, competitive bidding processes and sustainability protocols.
CE (CONFORMITÉ EUROPÉENNE)
indicates that the product complies with the safety and conformity requirements enforced by European Union regulations, with control procedures associated with production batches. Read more
UKCA (UK CONFORMITY ASSESSED)
indicates that the product complies with the safety and conformity requirements established by the regulations in force in Great Britain.
It is the UK equivalent to CE marking for products within the regulated categories.
EPD (ENVIRONMENTAL PRODUCT DECLARATION
A declaration that sets out the audited impacts associated to the product’s lifecycle and the production process.
LEED (LEADERSHIP IN ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENTAL DESIGN)
An international sustainable building certification system in which products are scored on the use of materials and design strategies that improve efficiency and environmental quality and reduce consumption of energy and resources. Read more
CAM (CRITERI AMBIENTALI MINIMI)
Environmental criteria established in Italy to encourage the adoption of products and materials with lower impact throughout the lifecycle.
QB-UPEC (USURE POINÇONNEMENT EAU CHIMIQUE)
a performance classification that helps to identify a specific product’s most suitable intended use on the basis of its technical characteristics and the relative duty level.
BUREAU VERITAS
Bureau Veritas producer’s declaration: states the percentage of pre-consumer recycled material in the product, in accordance with the UNI EN ISO 14021 standard.
HPD (HEALTH PRODUCT DECLARATION)
Declaration that provides transparent disclosure of the contents of a construction product and the associated hazard information in accordance with a standardised format called the HPD Open Standard.
you may also be interested in
