With year one of Green Squared® in the books, and nearly 1,000 Green Squared Certified® products in the marketplace, the Tile Council of North America (TCNA) and its Green Initiative Committee are pleased to announce the industry’s growing presence in the green building community.

The extensive participation of North American tile manufacturers in Green Squared, the world’s first consensus-based sustainability standard and certification program developed exclusively for tiles and tile installation materials, and tile industry green initiatives in general have led to growing interest from architects, designers, and green standards developers.

U.S., Mexican, and European manufacturers are already participating in Green Squared, with growing interest from manufacturers in the Middle East and South America. Recognizing the importance of the program and the increasing availability of foreign and domestically produced products, several high profile organizations have recognized Green Squared.

This spring the American Society of Interior Designers (ASID) will release its updated ASID Guide to Ecolabels, which will acknowledge Green Squared as the tile industry’s sustainable product program. In the updated National Green Building Standard (ICC 700-2012), the use of Green Squared Certified tiles can contribute three points towards a project’s certification. Furthermore, Green Squared provides TCNA a platform as it works with several standards development bodies, including the US General Services Administration (GSA), the National Institute of Building Sciences (NIBS), the International Code Council (ICC), and the US Green Building Council (USGBC), to recognize the use of sustainable tiles.

What does this all mean for the tile industry?

“For the first time manufacturers feel they have an appropriate, industry-endorsed strategy for presenting their most sustainable products to the marketplace,” stated TCNA Standard Development and Green Initiative Manager, Bill Griese. “This past year, Green Squared has given TCNA and the tile industry opportunities which never existed before for acknowledgement within green building initiatives. In short the industry now has a vehicle to drive more sustainable products into more green building projects.”

With the success of Green Squared, TCNA is well-positioned in the highest level and most up-to-date green building discussions. This sets a firm foundation on which the industry’s sustainability initiatives can continue to grow and will help TCNA remain on the forefront of sustainability innovation.

“Now other organizations, including those for other building product industries, are turning to TCNA for advice on how to shape their green initiatives,” Mr. Griese continued. “Today the tile industry is considered a leader in the green building community. As our initiatives continue to evolve, this will be invaluable to our overall knowledge base, influence, and sustainability in the green building world.”

For more information on Green Squared and TCNA’s sustainability initiatives, please visit www.GreenSquaredCertified.com.