Everything we buy is transformed from raw materials and transported for sale. Sand becomes glass, bauxite becomes aluminium and raw earth is used to make tiles. Tiles are made from various forms of inorganic raw earth with no toxins present. They are the most abundant raw materials available and at the end of life have an abundance of uses.
Often it involves shipping materials halfway around the world. The energy used to make and transport a product is called its embodied energy, and it makes sense to make the most of all the consumed embodied energy and resources by reusing or recycling every product we can to prevent landfill.
We’ve worked tirelessly to bring you the most sustainable tile options available globally, with the majority of our products achieving Global GreenTag Level A and GoldPlus certification, and The Living Future Institute’s Declare ‘Red List Free’ status.
These products are produced by Porcelanosa in Spain, a world renowned manufacturer for their quality, design and sustainable ethos. Porcelanosa floor tiles incorporate between 5-10% pre-consumer recycled material, while their wall tiles contain up to 20% pre-consumer recycled materials. 100% of all ceramic waste created during production is reintroduced into the same manufacturing process.
Ceramic and porcelain tiles are made from inorganic materials, perfectly suited to recycling into other materials at the end of their usable life through crushing, with no chemicals required. As our ceramic and porcelain tiles are a dense and solid material, crushing these into a variety of aggregate sizes results in a number of readily usable products such as landscaping aggregate, road base and bedding sand.
Our green certified tile range includes both ceramic (wall tiles) and porcelain (floor & wall tiles). These floor tiles use 32% less raw material, heat and energy to produce, while our wall tiles consume 59% less raw material, water and energy to manufacture.
As a supplier of ecologically manufactured ceramic and porcelain tiles, we know our corporate environmental and social responsibility extends beyond the time of sale and warranty period. For this reason, we recommend using VOC free adhesives and recycling your tiles at the end of their life.
There are a wide variety of recycling companies located all over Australia who accept tile waste for recycling. Almost 10 years ago we formed a partnership with Veolia Australia & New Zealand to develop a Product Stewardship Process to assist everyday Australians in locating, contacting and arranging recycling for their ceramic and porcelain tile waste in Sydney, Newcastle, Brisbane and Melbourne.
The process is simple and fast. If you would like to ensure your tiles are not taken to landfill, we encourage you to take the following steps:
- Call Veolia’s Customer Service Centre on 132 955.
- Request a bin for tiles (this will be taken to the closest approved recycling facility).
Prices are provided upon application and are subject to the bin size, availability and location. Please note, all costs are the responsibility of the owner, builder or other party (not Earp Bros or Veolia).
For a copy of our Product Stewardship Program outlining approved recycling facilities and contact details, click here.