What is sustainability and why Does it Matter?
Our future depends on the work we do today. For us, our promise for sustainability extends beyond just products and processes. It is how we challenge ourselves to do and be better every day, how we make decisions, through our commitment to a sustainable future for both our people and our planet, and how we define what matters as we work to deliver value for generations to come.
Our promise is to create beautiful tile responsibly. That means sustainability is at the core of what we do.
Sustainability is about taking from our planet responsibility, making sure not to reduce its ability to provide for the future. A sustainable business works with nature, not against it. Therefore, our promise is threefold. To cover all aspects of our business, we consider sustainability according to three pillars: Planet, People and Governance.
PLANET
As we look to the next decade, we’re excited to be part of the climate change solution. This includes reducing our businesses greenhouse gas emissions through decarbonization and using renewable energy.
From 2018 to present, we have reduced our carbon footprint by
17%*.
Over 99% of our tile collections contain recycled or reclaimed materials.
Overall, we recover and reuse
84%
of all process wastewater generated in our manufacturing plants to make tile products.
North American facilities recover and reuse over
300 million pounds of recycled and/or reclaimed material per year.
Our measures have prevented over 125 million gallons of wastewater from entering local municipal water treatment facilities.
We've reduced our total energy consumption by 11%
at all sales service centers and distribution facilities.
* Protocol used to estimate emissions reductions or removal benefits: The protocol utilized to estimate emissions reductions or removal benefits is the GHG Protocol. The analysis includes electricity and natural gas consumption data from manufacturing locations for 2018 and 2023. The 2023 data includes on-site combined heat and power (CHP) data for 2023. For electricity-related carbon emissions, the regional eGrid emission factor (EF) was applied for both 2018 and 2023.
• Total CO2 2018 = CO2 emissions from Natural gas consumption+ CO2 emissions from Electricity consumption (Manual calculation)
• Total CO2 2023 = CO2 emissions from Natural gas consumption + CO2 emissions from Electricity consumption – CO2 emissions from Electricity Co-generation (Calculated in Resource Advisor)
Third-party Verified? No
Does this claim involve the use of Offsets: No
PEOPLE
Our pledge is to ensure that both our company and our product have a positive impact on people in regards to air quality, safety, and success. Our promise extends beyond our planet to investing in our people.
GOVERNANCE
Our workplaces are defined by respect, health, safety, ethics and opportunity for everyone. We adhere to our Standards of Conduct and Business Ethics and expect employees to do the same.
Looking Ahead
We have work to do, but the future is bright.
While we’ve met and, in many cases, exceeded our goals as a company, we’ve barely scratched the surface of what’s possible.
LEED
Center
Our LEED Center offers online tools that help promote a whole-building approach to sustainability and LEED certification.
Sustainable
Building
We strongly support green building processes and energy efficiency for a wide array of residential & commercial projects.
Green Manufacturing
Our mission is to continue to create technology that ensures all of our processes are environmentally responsible and energy efficient.
SUSTAINABILITY CERTIFICATIONS
Our sustainability certifications reflect our commitment to environmental responsibility and adherence to globally recognized standards.