November 2, 2021, Clarksville, TN. – MILE®stone (the distributed brand of Florim USA) CEO Rodolfo Panisi announced two sustainability milestones for the brand. The first is the invested pledge for MILE®stone, to become completely carbon neutral by 2030. To validate that commitment, they have introduced the industry’s 1st entirely carbon neutral tile with its collection Plaster 2.0.
“Our responsibility to design innovative quality products means a duty to not only our customers but also our environment and community,” states Panisi. “In other words, as we focus on designing beautiful, cutting edge commercial and residential spaces, we must remain mindful as we contribute to our communities and natural ecosystems.”
These conscious steps to the environment are not new efforts for the manufacturer Florim USA. The company holds several certifications for its ongoing efforts in sustainability including Green Squared, a multi-attributed ANSI standard. They are also the recipient of numerous regional and national awards including TN recycler of the Year for 2020. Recently, Florim USA also took part in the first published Material Transparency Study conducted by the TCNA. The study provides a transparent view of materials used in the manufacturing process, and the health assessments tied with those materials. At a time when health is at the forefront, selected building materials have an impact. Because of these efforts, MILE®stone contributes to LEED and WELL certification credits.
Plaster 2.0 brings these efforts to a global environmental level. Panisi goes on to state, “Climate change is demanding we take conscious steps that contribute to this generation and generations to come. Sustainability is not just a buzz word, but an action, and we hope our actions inspire others to join us in this impactive move. It’s time now to take responsibility.”
On its MILE®stone website, Florim USA noted that Plaster 2.0 is the first entirely carbon neutral product to be offered in the porcelain tile industry – and porcelain tile has the lowest embodied carbon of any available flooring product. Embodied carbon is the sum of all the greenhouse gas emissions resulting from a number of processes including mining, processing, manufacturing, transportation and installation of building materials. High levels of embodied carbon emissions contribute to global warming. In addition, to contribute to low carbon emissions, over 95% of the raw materials used in the production of MILE®stone tiles are sourced within a 500-mile radius of its Clarksville, Tenn., factory.
For more information on Milestone Tile, visit www.milestonetiles.com.