Architects and building owners looking to use ceramic tile while meeting green building requirements, such as LEED and Green Globes, have a new tool to increase sustainability.

The Environmental Product Declaration (EPD) for ceramic tile made in North America, certified by sustainability leader UL Environment, is now available for downloading.

The in-depth report reveals the environmental impact of North American-made ceramic tile and provides environmental reporting necessary for earning green building points and green building criteria. According to the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), the EPD’s use can help earn up to 2 points under LEED v4 provisions, which require the use of at least 20 products with EPDs and 50 per cent of products with improved life cycle performance.

“Representing the broad spectrum of North American tile, this certified EPD is a powerful and useful tool for specifiers concerned with sustainable construction and who are looking to include tile in their projects,” said Eric Astrachan, executive director of TCNA.

Such tile can also help earn about 30 points under Green Globes’ requirements for core, shell, and interior fit-outs.

As a number of major North American manufactures’ contributed data to the EPD, the report represents more than 95 per cent of tile produced on the continent.

The environmental impacts that are measured are decided by the North American Product Category Rule (PCR) for flooring EPDs. By following this standard, the ceramic tile EPD reports the environmental facts of ceramic tile similar to other flooring EPDs.