Green Squared certification is based on the industry’s new product sustainability standard, ANSI A138.1. For a tile or installation material to be considered for certification, it must be in conformance with this standard.

ANSI A138.1 covers a variety of products including tiles (ceramic and glass), powder goods (grouts, mortars, etc.), liquid/paste installation products (trowelable membranes, liquid polymer additives, etc.), panel installation products (backer boards, underlayments, etc.), and sheet installation products (crack isolation membranes, waterproof membranes, etc.). This allows the tile industry to offer installed systems of conforming sustainable products, which is the first offering of its kind by any building material industry.

Since being green today involves much more than recycled materials, energy efficiency or any one single attribute, ANSI A138.1 takes a multi-attribute approach towards sustainability, establishing criteria which address both environmental and social issues. These criteria, which are specific to the tile industry, are relevant for products throughout their entire life cycle and are in accordance with the North American green building industry’s practices, expectations, and leading initiatives.

ANSI A138.1 is divided into five sections: General Environmental Characteristics (product characteristics), Environmental Product Manufacturing (including raw material extraction), End of Product Life Management, Progressive Corporate Governance, and Innovation. Some criteria within each of these sections are mandatory, and others are elective. To meet the standard, a product must meet all mandatory requirements and a certain number of elective requirements.

Over the next few months, we will breakdown and review the technical criteria within each of the five sections of ANSI A138.1.