Sustainability

Daltile is proud to be part of the Mohawk Industries Environmental, Social and Governance Report (ESG). At Daltile, innovation has always defined our business, from industry-changing products to processes we continue to refine. Innovation is also the driving force behind our Environmental, Social and Governance strategy, which is focused on creating a better tomorrow for people and the planet. We are excited to share our sustainability progress with you.

What Is Sustainability and Why Does It Matter?

What is sustainability?

Sustainability is about creating a better tomorrow for people and the planet, without reducing its ability to provide for the future. Responsible businesses should find ways to work with nature, not against it.

We couldn't continue to provide top tier products without taking care of nature first. That’s why we put sustainability at the forefront of our business. Our future depends on the work we do today.

At Dal-Tile, our promise to sustainability extends beyond just products and processes: it is how we challenge ourselves to do and be better every day, how we make decisions, how we reinvest in our people and our planet, and how we define what matters as we work to deliver value for generations to come.

Is tile sustainable?

• Tiles have the smallest carbon footprint of any floor surface.
• They’re completely free of dangerous chemicals, plastic, and volatile organic compounds (VOCs) present in other floor types.
• While carpet and laminate flooring needs to be replaced every 5-10 years, tiles can last a lifetime — just ask the Romans!
• There’s no need to use toxic chemicals to clean tiles. Warm water or neutral pH cleaner will work just as well, avoiding the introduction of destructive chemicals into our homes and environment.
• Tiles reduce energy consumption thanks to their fantastic thermal conductivity. This makes them perfect for retaining heat in the winter and cooling rooms in the summer.

We make natural tiles that use clay as pure as the ground from which they’re harvested. But we know that we can do more. 

Though some people may wonder why sustainability is important in business, we wouldn’t have it any other way.

That’s why we’ve worked hard to develop methods that reduce our footprint. Here are some examples:

Reusability

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

These three words have inspired us to reduce waste and improve reusability. Here’s what we’ve been doing.

• Over 99% of our products contain recycled or reclaimed materials.
• Our corporate office has recycled over 341 tons of cardboard and office paper since 2018, averaging 68 tons/year from 2018-2022.
• In our North American tile manufacturing facilities, Dal-Tile recovers & reuses on average over 300 million pounds of recycled and/or reclaimed material per year.
• In our business, millions of material pounds that cannot be used to make products have been sent to state-approved beneficial reuse programs for roadbed base material, brick and cement manufacturing and land reclamation.
• Our GREENWORKS take-back program helps reduce waste in the building industry by offering to take back unused ceramic and porcelain tiles that would otherwise end up in landfills.
• In the past seven years, nine manufacturing facilities have achieved mohawk’s internal zero landfill certification.
• Our discontinued products are donated to churches, schools, healthcare facilities, and charities.

Efficiency

Sustainability is about more than reducing resource use.

It’s just as important to make sure that when you do use resources, you use them in a way that maximizes utility.

Here’s how we’re doing just that:

• Our Made In The USA program ensures a large portion of our products are made right here, minimizing transport emissions. We’ve also strategically placed our showrooms, distribution centers, and manufacturing plants so that our products and raw materials are always within 500 miles of most project sites. This helps us keep fuel consumption low.
• Our manufacturing plants recover and reuse 84% of all process wastewater generated in our manufacturing plants to make new tile products. 6 of the 11 manufacturing plants are zero discharge facilities by virtue of recovering and reusing 100% of their process wastewater.
• We recover and reuse wastewater generated in the production process, preventing 125 million gallons from entering local municipal water treatment facilities.
• We’ve improved the way we use electricity and natural gas in our manufacturing, showrooms, and distribution centers. By improving efficiency and conserving energy, we have achieved an 11% reduction in energy consumption from 2018-2021.
• We have invested significantly in the reduction of energy consumption and the associated carbon footprint. From 2018 to present we have reduced our carbon footprint by 39%.

Transparency

Why is sustainability important for our environment? Well, it's simple. Without sustainability, our environment deteriorates until it can no longer provide the benefits we rely on.

Without transparency, sustainability might not be sustained. That’s why we prioritize honesty and accountability in our business. Here's how:

• Environmental Product Declarations are the most comprehensive environmental impact assessments on the market, derived from analysis of a product’s full life cycle and independently verified. We provide this for each one of our products.
• Since 2018, we’ve provided product-specific Health Product Declarations for many of our collections based on a set of international hazard listings.
• We help communicate the sustainability and performance benefits of ceramic tile through our partnership with the tile council of America by creating content on their “why tile” website. Visit www.whytile.com for more information.

Want to Get LEED Certified?

The Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design certification is the world’s most widely used green building rating system. 

We’ve helped hundreds of projects achieve this certification and prove their green credentials. 

With our simple 5 step process, getting your customized LEED certification letter is quick and easy. To find out more, visit our LEED Center.

DESIGNING WITH TILE