Ceramiche Keope, manufacturer of porcelain stoneware floor and wall tile, once again confirms its attention and commitment towards the environment - already visible in the exclusive "GREENTHINKING" project begun in 2008 after obtaining, in September 2010, the ANAB ICEA certification attesting that the porcelain stoneware tiles meet the requirements of the ANAB (National Association for Bioecological Architecture) standards for materials for bioarchitecture.
ANAB is an association that aims to spread the principles of sustainable architecture through research, training, consultancy and certification of the environmental sustainability of building products. The ANAB trademark thus indicates products that have been certified as meeting evaluation criteria after being tested and validated by ICEA (the Institute for Ethical and Environmental Certification).
ICEA evaluates products that require the eco-quality label and measures results on the basis of set standard values. It is one of the most important organisms of the sector in Europe, with over 13 thousand monitored companies.
The criteria of evaluation that the Association adopted to issue the certification for Ceramiche Keope products takes account of the entire lifecycle of the material: from finding raw materials to final use, the production phases are monitored in order to ensure respect for the environment.
ANAB's aims are founded on the conviction that although a home is a basic human need, building has paradoxically become one of the human activities with the greatest environmental impact.
The objective of certification of materials for Bioarchitecture is clearly that of “improving the quality of building products by reducing harmful emissions and energy consumption and using renewable sources for product units during the phases of pre-production, production and post production whilst respecting the environment, health and safety of workers and users”. It is clear how the analysis conducted as part of certification is interdisciplinary, inasmuch as it considers all the dimensions: ecological, social, economic cultural – that concur to form the sustainability concept.
Today, Ceramiche Keope is one of the companies that pays the greatest attention towards the ecological issues of the ceramic industry. Thanks to its modern production facilities, in 2004, Ceramiche Keope was the first Italian company to have voluntarily completed the process of control and reduction of its emissions of CO2 andgreenhouse gas (Kyoto Protocol).
In September 2005, the company obtained the Ecolabelcertification, which currently applies to 24 certified collections and over 400 items. In 2007, it was the first ceramic industry in the world and 1st company in Europe to obtain the prestigious UNI ISO 14064 certification (enforcement of the Kyoto protocol).
In September 2009, Ceramiche Keope, division of Ceramiche Atlas Concorde, became a member of the Green Building Council Italia (GBC Italia) and of the Green Building Council USA (USGBC), that proposes to introduce the independent LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) certification system, the parameters of which establish precise planning criteria for the realisation of health and energy-efficient buildings with a contained environmental impact.
Ceramiche Keope is not only interested in the best quality but also in a policy based on respect for the environment. For this reason by means of the Greenthinking logo, it wishes to offer its customers added value and, by reporting its commitment, gives them the possibility to make reliable choices for eco-compatible products in line with the stringent standards established by the European Community.