Commitment to the Environment

Crossville - Certified Green

At Crossville, Inc., we depend on natural resources to create our award-winning products, and when we take from the Earth, we give back. A member of the U.S. Green Building Council, we are committed to protecting the environment through our quality manufacturing processes and by offering recycled and environmentally friendly products.

Crossville's EcoCycle is the first porcelain tile with certified recycled content. Scientific Certification Systems, an independent third party certifier of environmental claims, conducts regular audits of our innovative processes and assures that EcoCycle is in strict compliance. The post-industrial recycled content found in EcoCycle was previously sent to local landfills. A proprietary system developed by Crossville now diverts six million pounds of this waste back into the manufacturing process. And EcoCycle was just the beginning - Crossville now offers five products with SCS-certified recycled content.

In 2009, Crossville became the first company to offer an environmentally preferable method for disposing of previously installed tile. Through our proprietary Tile Take-Back program, we are able to process tile back into powder used to manufacture new tile. Not only does this allow us to take back tile that has been removed for remodeling and renovation, but it also allows us to recycled our own fired waste - diverting an additional four million pounds of waste from landfills annually.

Beyond Products

Recognizing that sound environmental policies reach beyond manufacturing processes and product offerings into all business operations, we have formed an Environmental Commitment Task Force made up of representatives from each of our operational units to evaluate current practices for efficiency and environmental impact and to recommend future innovations that will further establish Crossville as the environmental leader in the tile industry.

Our waste-water policies exceed government standards and we have earned several citations for effective waste-water practices from the City of Crossville and the Kentucky-Tennessee Water Environment Association. Water used in manufacturing is recycled back into our processes; the minimal amount that is not recaptured is returned clean to its natural habitat.

We maximize use of natural gas, a clean burning, efficient fuel, which helps alleviate negative impacts associated with other fuels. Our dust collection procedures not only allow us to limit air pollution, both inside and outside our plants, but allow us to reuse unfired raw scrap materials and residual raw material during manufacturing. While this reuse doe not constitute recycling, it does minimize landfill deposits while conserving raw material.

Recycle, Reuse and Reduce

Crossville has initiated a companywide recycling program through which tens of thousands of pounds office and production facility paper and plastic waste - as well as plastic bottles and aluminum cans - are collected and recycled each month. With no formal recycling program in the surrounding county, we also encourage our employees to bring their recyclables to work for collection.

Our commitment to the environment reaches into our packaging, marketing, and merchandising efforts. Samples, display panels and small piece goods are packaged using recycled and recyclable wrapping and cushioning materials. Additionally, our marketing materials are printed at Forestry Stewardship Council certified facilities; soy inks and recycled paper are used whenever possible.

Green Education

An authorized provider of CEU programs, Crossville has developed Is It Really Green, an in-depth look at sustainability, green washing, and other issues pertaining to the use of green building materials and furnishings.