What Impact Does your Countertop have on the Environment?

One of the broadest spectrums of product lines when finishing out your home comes when selecting countertops. One way to narrow down your options is by choosing a material that is more sustainable. Many natural products are deceivingly more harmful to nature than their artificial counterparts. A way of exceeding a natural product is by the reduction of virgin material through upcycling. The book Cradle to Cradle defines upcycling as “the practice of taking something that is disposable or downcycled and transforming it into something of greater use or value.”

Almost any product can be recreated into an usable surface. EnviroGlas, headquartered here in Plano, has wisely used abundant glass waste in their city to create a highly sustainable terrazzo product. They use 100% post-consumer recycled glass and it’s produced right here in the metro! 3form, Vetrazzo, and IceStone have similar products that upcycle polyethelene and glass waste. Eco by Consentino is an exciting new product that contains 75% post-industrial and post-consumer recycled content bound by corn oil resin. Its use of waste materials that cannot be used in any other industrial product gives them approval from numerous environment certifiers. It is also headquarters in Texas.

Avoid metal counters unless they are recycled. Mining for steel and aluminum bares a heavy burden on the environment. Alkemi, utilizes 60% post-industrial aluminum and polymeric resin to give you a metal product while minimizing waste and destructive mining.

Stone is a facet of nature but the means by which it is extracted for the earth is not. Granite is preferable to marble due to its regional quarries and energy requirements. Quartz, soapstone, sandstone and slate are closer to the surface and thus less impactful. Be mindful the mining fields do not endanger animal wildlife. Composite stone products like those from Squack Mountain Stone bind recycled products with a fibrous cement to resemble soapstone.

Paper, wood, and ceramic products can also be sustainable but often carry a negative perception. So when selecting a countertop; consider the extraction and production process, recycled content, durability and air quality so you can regard its beauty as well as its resourcefulness.