Earlier this year Italian adhesives and grouts company Mapei started launching carbon neutral tile fixing products on to the Italian market. Now those products are coming to the UK, starting with UltraColor Plus.
For Mapei, “zero impact on climate change” means that CO2 emissions measured throughout the life cycle of products from the Zero line – using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methodology, certified with environmental product declarations (EPD’s) – have been offset through the acquisition of certified carbon credits in support of renewable energy and forestry protection projects.
UltraColor Plus is Mapei’s signature anti-efflorescence, quick-setting and drying polymer-modified grout, featuring water-repellent DropEffect and mould-resistant BioBlock.
In the UK, zero-line adhesives will follow in the future.
Internationally, the product line includes Keraflex Easy S1 Zero, Keraflex Extra S1 Zero, Keraflex Maxi S1 Zero and Ultralite S1 Flex Zero adhesives as well as Ultracolor Plus grout.
Marco Squinzi, Mapei CEO, says: “At Mapei, the road to carbon neutrality is, first and foremost, through the optimisation of formulations to offer products with a smaller carbon footprint and, at the same time, high performance properties.
"Ten years’ ago we were the first to introduce the offsetting of CO2 emissions with the introduction of Keraflex Maxi S1 Zero, our best-selling cementitious adhesive for ceramic tiles. And, in 2022, thanks to the decision to also include our Ultracolor Plus among our offset products, we presented the first ever carbon-neutral system for installing ceramic tiles. Now, we are taking a further step by introducing an entire Zero line and we will carry on paving the way for the entire construction chain.”
Francesco Stronati, corporate product manager of the ceramic line, added “At this historic moment, where sustainability is no longer a choice but a necessity – as can be seen with the development of various environmental protocols for the classification of buildings – we want to bring our real contribution to the ceramic and construction sectors.”
Mapei’s commitment to 'corporate environmental sustainability' at its Corporate Research Centre in Milan means development is focused on the environmental sustainability of products and processes. The team measures the impacts of products on the environment throughout their life-cycle using Life Cycle Assessment (LCA) methods. The results are included on an Environmental Product Declaration (EPD). Currently, more than 80% of Mapei products are covered by EPDs.
The team works to create products with an increasingly lower impact on the environment by researching, right from the initial formulation phase, solutions to reduce consumption of raw materials and extend the use of recycled materials even further.
The team is also responsible for identifying carbon offsetting projects and other methods to mitigate the impact production processes have on the environment, while continuing to guarantee the quality and durability of products.