Cosentino Group obtains Environmental Product Declaration for ECO surface

The Cosentino Group, a world leader in the production and distribution of quartz and other natural stone surfaces, has concluded the Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) and Carbon Footprint of Eco by Cosentino, its innovative surface made of 75% recycled materials, by obtaining an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). The multinational company, based in Almeria, Spain, is the second Spanish company in any industry to be recognised with this declaration and the first in the world in the quartz surfaces sector. 

The Life Cycle Assessment is a pioneering tool within the field of sustainable policies and actions that investigates and evaluates the environmental impact of a product or service at all stages of its existence (extraction, production, distribution, use and disposal).
 
Furthermore, for specific production activity, this assessment is not only limited to impacts inside an industrial plant; rather, the LCA also provides information on the proportion of environmental risk that corresponds to all prior and subsequent activities relating to a specific product. The carbon footprint follows the same lines but pays special attention to the analysis of emissions that contribute to climate change.
 
Over the last year and in line with these strict evaluations, the Cosentino Group has analysed not only the environmental impact of producing Eco by Cosentino in its factories, but also all the associated indirect processes, which include more than 1,500 production processes and 200 raw materials.
 
The goal of this project was to carry out an environmental analysis of Eco by Cosentino with the aim of reducing its associated environmental impact, paying special attention to limiting greenhouse gas emissions, efficient raw material and energy consumption and reducing the amount of waste generated.
 
The results of the assessment process has allowed for the implementation of actions leading to environmental improvement and the development of a series of indicators that will allow for the monitoring of Eco by Cosentino® environmental status in a simple way, as well as the creation of best practice manuals for each of the company’s divisions.

All this work has been recognised externally by The International EDP Consortium through the prestigious Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). More than 140 products from more than 100 companies in 9 countries are currently recognised by the international institution. The Cosentino Group is the first company in the global quartz surfaces sector to obtain the declaration for its Life Cycle Assessment. Detailed information on Eco by Cosentino’s LCA and Carbon Footprint can be found on The International EDP Consortium’s webpage (http://www.environdec.com/en/Detail/?Epd=7938 )
 
According to Antonio Urdiales, Director of Central Services at Cosentino Group: “Completing the LCA and Carbon Footprint of Eco by Cosentino is a global landmark within our industry and confirms our policy of maximum commitment to sustainability. Furthermore, that it has been recognised by as prestigious a certification as the EPD shows, on the one hand, that as well as complying with the environmental legislation in force, we are in fact ahead of this legislation in many areas, while demonstrating, on the other, our policy of complete transparency in terms of the Group’s environmental information.” 
 
As part of the growing use of Eco by Cosentino in both public initiatives and private environments, Cosentino wants to highlight the application of this new environmentally friendly material as part of a pioneering project launched in Madrid – Repsol’s first sustainable and accessible petrol station that will be opened by the multinational company in the Spanish capital. This leading project in the field of sustainability has included the participation of Cosentino, with the laying of 50m2 of ECO’s White Diamond surface.