ISO 17889-1 certification

ISO 17889-1 CERTIFICATION SUSTAINABILITY FOR CERAMIC TILES

RECOGNISED
SUSTAINABILITY

In 2022, Coem was awarded third-party verification by Certyquality according to 'ISO 17889-1 - Sustainability for ceramic tiles,' a new international standard for determining the level of sustainability of ceramic products in the construction trade.
This standard analyses the entire life cycle of the product, from raw materials to disposal, also assessing health and safety parameters for workers.

This prestigious recognition confirms Coem's commitment to vigorously pursue policies of environmental and social responsibility throughout its production operations, certifying the excellence of highly sustainable porcelain stoneware.

WHEN SUSTAINABILITY
BECOMES A
RECOGNISED CERTAINTY

The ISO 17889-1 standard has the aim of providing design professionals, contractors and consumers with an internationally valid and verifiable standard in order to identify the sustainability of a product according to economic, environmental and social sustainability criteria.
The standard provides 38 compliance parameters, 15 of which are obligatory, giving rise to a specific score for every product, for comparison with benchmark values. Only ceramic tiles reaching a minimum score of 117.5 can obtain ISO 17889-1 certification. This standard is also in line with goal 12 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) for consumption and production, as defined by the UN in the 2030 Agenda.

SUSTAINABILITY OF CERAMIC SURFACES

Coem meets the requirements of the ISO 17889-1 standard, implementing a series of actions and measures along the entire life-cycle of the product:

Environmental criteria for the sustainabilty of ceramic surfaces

  • Procurement of local raw materials obtained or extracted within a radius of 800 km, recorded on relative safety data sheets.  Over 97% of Coem raw materials are obtained or extracted within a radius of 800 km, constituting the maximum level of excellence with respect to this parameter;

 

  • Recycled waste content in products over 6 mm thick. Coem has various product lines with over 60% of pre-consumer recovered waste, reaching the highest level of excellence regarding the content of recycled waste in the product;

 

  • Contract for the purchase of raw materials and environmental services with suppliers that adhere to internal environmental policy systems;

 

  • Implementation of the Environmental Management System (EMS) and Energy Efficiency Management System (EEMS).
    All Coem’s plants are ISO 14001 and Emas-certified and use an energy efficiency management system conforming to ISO 50001;

 

  • Use of heat recovery systems for manufacturing kilns. 100% of Coem’s kilns have a heat recovery system;

 

  • Use of renewable energy in the production line. All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in the use of renewable energy;

 

  • Use of natural gas in production systems;

 

  • Monitoring of specific consumption of fuel for firing kilns. All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in the specific consumption of fuel;

 

  • Monitoring of emissions of dust and fluorine into the atmosphere. All Coem plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in reducing emissions into the atmosphere;

 

  • Recycling and reuse of process waste.
    All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in the recycling and reuse of process waste with values above 100%;

 

  • Recycling of product packaging materials above 50%. All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in the recycling of packaging materials;

 

  • Differentiated collection and recycling of materials used in the production process;

 

  • Monitoring of specific water consumption and wastewater discharge during the production cycle. All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in the reduction of specific consumption of water and do not discharge wastewater as it is entirely recycled;

 

  • Use of packaging made with recycled materials. All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence as over 70% of packaging materials are recycled;

 

  • Type III Environmental Product Declaration (EPD for the sector).

Economic criteria

  • Demonstration of conformity of the product with the standards applicable to the company. Coem’s first-choice products comply with the EN 14411 (ISO 13006) standard.

 

Social criteria

  • Information on the risks of workers’ exposure to chemical and physical agents;

 

  • Presence of dust extraction and filtering systems in the various production departments;

 

  • All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in periodic occupational health and safety checks;

 

  • Provision of personal protective equipment on the basis of ascertained potential risks. All Coem’s plants achieve the maximum level of excellence in providing its employees with, and ensuring they use, all personal protective equipment necessary for guaranteeing safe production activities;

 

  • Implementation of an occupational health and safety management system. All Coem plants are certified with regards to health and safety in compliance with the ISO 45001 standard;

 

  • Contract for the purchase of raw materials and services only with suppliers who comply with health, safety and labor laws and regulations;

 

  • Information provided to tile dealers and installers for a correct and safe use of the tiles, their packaging and cutting;

 

  • Preparation of product safety data sheets for dealers and installers;

 

  • Information provided on the correct use and maintenance of ceramic surfaces.