NOVOCERAM: GREEN COMMITMENT – The first ISO14001 and ISO50001 certified ceramic tile producer in France
Quality and respect for the environment is for Novoceram, French manufacturer of ceramics since 1863, two fundamental values as evidenced by its ecological charter and the important certifications obtained in recent years, in particular, the company is the only French manufacturer of ceramics. tiling to obtain ISO 14001 certification for its environmental management system.
Respect for the environment is one of the most authentic values of Novoceram, a French manufacturer of ceramics since 1863, as demonstrated by the important certifications obtained over the years. In addition to complying with current legislation, the company has a voluntary environmental management system certified to ISO 14001, an energy management system certified to ISO 50001 and a performance measurement system for the sustainability of products and processes certified to ISO 17889-1.
ISO 17889-1: Novoceram is the first French manufacturer to be certified to ISO 17889-1:2021, a standard that universally defines sustainability for tiles and setting materials. This unprecedented standard is unique in the world of building materials for which only generic and non-specific certifications exist.
Novoceram obtained this certification by meeting strict environmental, economic and social evaluation criteria. These results allow Novoceram to offer its customers tiles that are guaranteed to be respectful of the environment, people and the territory.
ISO 14001: Novoceram is the only ceramic tile producer in France to have obtained ISO 14001 certification, an industry standard that outlines the requirements needed for the environmental management system and requires the constant improvement of environmental performance. The certification is testament to the considerable investment to reduce energy and water consumption that Novoceram has made in its production site, and leads the way to company achieving even more ambitious goals. In order to achieve these results, the company has dedicated all its corporate procedures, from production to office departments, to control and reduce the environmental impact of all activities. Today, almost all of the total of raw waste is internally recycled and the production of fired waste has been reduced by 38% over the time span from 2007 to 2014. Similarly, in the more exposed areas of the factory, the amount of silica powder released into the atmosphere has been reduced by 88% over the time span from 2004 to 2013. Moreover, the company has implemented important changes in the management of natural resources: the water consumption per square metre has been reduced by 57% over the time span from 2007 to 2014 and the gas consumption per square metre by 6% over the time span from 2007 to 2014.
ISO 50001: Novoceram is the first French manufacturer to obtain ISO 50001 certification, rewarding its energy management system. Novoceram, motivated by the desire to control and optimize its energy consumption, has set up a program to replace the traditional lighting system with energy-efficient appliances, saving 82% of energy in one year.
FDES: Novoceram has developed the FDES (Environmental and Sanitary Declaration Form) of its products to inform the user of the environmental and health impacts of the product. To do this, Novoceram used an external organization and verified by a third party. These sheets also facilitate the choice of a material for the construction of a HQE building.
U.S. MEMBER GREEN BUILDING COUNCIL: Novoceram has decided to join the U.S. Green Building Council. The purpose of this association is to make the change in the building from the design phase. This non-profit organization manages, among other things, LEED certification, certification for buildings to which Novoceram wishes to contribute its know-how and knowledge as a manufacturer of ceramic tiles.
LEED COMPLIANT: Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) certification is an American building certification, managed by the U.S. Green Building Council, that meets certain environmental requirements. To be LEED certified, a building must obtain at least 40 of the 110 credits available. Each material used must therefore bring as much point as possible. The purpose of this certification is to ensure the sustainability of the buildings. To obtain this certification, Novoceram tiles are entitled to several points thanks to different advantages: concerning the environmental quality of the air, Novoceram products do not contain VOCs and do not emit any toxic substance in the ambient air. , concerning materials and resources: Novoceram uses raw materials extracted in areas outside Natura 2000, and Novoceram products contain a portion of recycled waste.
DEP: DEP is an environmental product study based on life cycle analysis. The goal is to understand the impact of the product on its environment. Recognized all over Europe, the DEP is established according to EN 15804. Therefore, it is similar to the FDES except that it does not take into account the health aspect imposed by the French supplement. to the European standard. The DEP therefore makes it possible not only to evaluate, but also to communicate transparently about the environmental performance of the products manufactured by Novoceram according to a specific evaluation reference system.
PEF: The Product Environmental Footprint (EFP) or EEP (Environmental Product Footprint) is the result of an environmental footprint study, defined by the European Commission to measure and indicate the potential environmental impact of a product throughout of its life cycle.
VOC: A labeling system has been set up for interior decoration products to evaluate the level of air pollution emitted by a given product (VOC, Volatile Organic Compounds). Ceramic tiles Novoceram, because of their constitution do not contain VOC and cooking at over 1200 ° C involves the total destruction of all organic products. Also, Novoceram benefits from the A + labeling because no toxic substance is emitted in the ambient air by the tiles.
LIFE CYCLE: to guarantee the environmental friendliness of products throughout their entire lifespan, from raw material selection to their final disposal as well as through to the manufacturing and distribution processes. Environmental criteria are determined in order to certify a maximum of 30% of all products available on the market.
The reason behind the decision to put every single one of its collections forward for classification stemmed from the desire to promise customers that the company really did believe that it would be possible to create something that would push the boundaries of the current technology in the industry, would improve the quality of life and also be eco friendly.
To achieve this ambitious goal, the company undertook a series of important steps:
- • Better management of waste and control of energy consumption.
- • Intensification of laboratory tests on products to check their non-polluting action.
- • With reference to raw material selection: all suppliers of raw materials for ceramic mixes were required to complete a technical form and carry out an environmental impact test on their products. Those who did not comply with EU regulations were removed from the list of suppliers. Novoceram choose to eliminate CMR products (cancer-causing, mutagen, pathogen), Novoceram decided to also ask suppliers to totally eliminate all glaze components containing lead, cadmium and antimony in order to use 100% “clean” raw materials.
The process leading since some years has been the driving force in the re-thinking of all working procedures in the production plant, in the analysis process and during tests. A considerable investment that is difficult to quantify also due to time and human resources involved.
EUROPEAN AND FRENCH REGULATIONS FOR THE SAFEGUARDING OF THE ENVIRONMENT: as well as ISO 14001 and ISO 50001 voluntary certifications, Novoceram also abides to other stringent controls as it is an ICPE site (Installation Classée pour la Protection de l’Environnement) and, as such, is also subject to additional regulations. For this reason the product site must comply with the regulations in force that synthesizes the requirements in terms of respect for the environment and statutory management requirements in accordance to four basic concepts:
- • Emissions of noise and vibrations: the law clearly defines maximum thresholds
- • Atmospheric pollution: the release of powders and fluorine must be lower than the threshold set forth by the law as certified by the controls that are carried out every year by an external authorised institute.
- • Water pollution: water consumption is monitored and no sewage can be re-introduced into the environment, rain water and drainage water are subject to regulations in force in the country.
- • Waste: all waste must be separated and tracked.
To find out more about the company and learn about all of the certifications won by Novoceram, visit our official website or join our Facebook page.
SYNTHETIC INFORMATION
ECOLABEL
LICENCE NUMBER :IT/021/001
COLLECTIONS AWARDED CERTIFICATIONS : 41
OFFICIAL ECOLABEL CATALOGUE :http://ec.europa.eu/ecat/
(write « Novoceram » in the search field)
ISO 14001
CERTIFICATE NUMBER : 59283-2009-AE-ITA-SINCERT (with Det Norske Veritas)
FIELD OF APPLICATION : Production of porcelain and single-fire ceramic tiles via milling, spray-drying, pressing, decoration and firing processes
THE COMPANY
The story of Novoceram started in 1863 in Saint-Vallier-sur-Rhône. With its 4 million m² of annual production, 42 million Euros of sales, a production site surface of 120,000 m² and 170 employees, the company is one of the leading producers of ceramic tiles in France. Novoceram adopts a constant and coherent environmental policy that has enabled it to obtain ISO 14001 certification for its Environmental Management System and ISO 50001 certification for its Energy Management System. Novoceram has been part of the group Gruppo Concorde, one of the major producers of ceramic cladding in Europe, since 2000.
INFORMATION AND INTERVIEWS
Our press office, the whole Novoceram team and Management are at your disposal for any further information or for an interview about the booths, the products or the company. Do not hesitate to contact us at: pressoffice@novoceram.fr.
