Sustainable Building Materials for Terrazzo: The Complete Guide for Architects & Specifiers

The green movement is happening. As a result, architects and designers are seeking building materials today that can contribute to LEED Point Credits. These are credits that can be gained through commercial and residential projects. Sustainable architecture focuses on the use of resources and their environmental impact.

The LEED Rating System focuses on these key areas:

• Impact on site and location
• Water efficiency
• Energy efficiency
• Material selection
• Indoor Environmental Quality
• Innovation

What products should be chosen? One ecological material used in sustainable architectural projects is terrazzo. Terrazzo is one of the most sustainable flooring materials in commercial construction, combining recycled content, zero-VOC composition, and a lifespan exceeding 100 years.

Try Our Green Terrazzo System

Concord Terrazzo Company introduced Green Terrazzo to the market, offering architects and designers with more healthier terrazzo products for their commercial buildings. Green Terrazzo is an epoxy terrazzo system made from renewable ingredients that are not Red Listed. This terrazzo product is designed to support modern sustainable building practices that promote human health and protect the environment. 

What makes a building material environmentally friendly?

A sustainable building material has low environmental impact across its full lifecycle, from extraction and manufacturing through installation, maintenance, and end-of-life disposal or reuse.

The construction industry accounts for approximately 40% of global energy-related CO2 emissions and consumes 40% of all raw materials globally (U.S. Green Building Council, 2024). Against that backdrop, material selection is one of the most consequential sustainability decisions a designer makes.

Sustainable building materials share four measurable characteristics:

• Durability: Long service life reduces replacement frequency and embodied carbon
• Recycled or recyclable content: Diverts waste from landfills and reduces virgin resource extraction
• Low emissions: Zero or near-zero VOCs protect indoor air quality
• Regional sourcing: Shorter supply chains lower transportation emissions

Terrazzo meets all four criteria by design.

Why is Terrazzo a Sustainable Flooring Material?

Terrazzo is sustainable because its durability, recycled content, and low VOC composition are properties of the material.

Lifespan: Terrazzo floors lasts the lifetime of the building structure (typically 75 to 100+ years). In fact, many traditional terrazzo floors built in earlier centuries are still intact. No other commercial flooring materials has a comparable documented service life. With a long lifespan, there are fewer replacement cycles. This results in less embodied carbon over time.

Recycled Content: Terrazzo aggregates included recycled glass, recycled porcelain, and recycled content. Pre-consumer and post-consumer aggregates both qualify for LEED Materials & Resources credits.

Zero VOCs: Epoxy terrazzo systems use zero volatile organic compounds. The cured floor exhibits no off-gassing over its lifecycle, contributing directly to LEED v4 Indoor Environmental Quality credits for Low-Emitting Materials.

Closed-Loop Recyclability: Existing terrazzo floors in older buildings are restored rather than replaced, and terrazzo can be recycled as aggregate for newer installations. Because of this a circular material chain produces near-zero flooring waste.

What Recycled Materials are Available for Terrazzo?

TERRAZZCO supplies a range of recycled and natural aggregates that qualify for LEED recycled content credits.

• Recycled Glass Chips: Sourced from post-industrial glass waste. Available in clear, colored, and single-sided mirror finishes.
• Recycled Porcelain: Post-industrial porcelain waste crushed to aggregate size. Qualifies as recycled content under LEED v4 Materials & Resources credits.
• Recycled Concrete: Diverts waste from landfill. Contributes to Construction & Demolition Waste Management credits.

All aggregates are crushed, processes, and packaged at TERRAZZCO’s Charlotte, NC manufacturing facility, qualifying for LEED regional materials credits on projects within a 500-mile radius.

How is TERRAZZCO’s Green Terrazzo System Different?

TERRAZZCO’s Green Terrazzo System is an epoxy terrazzo formulated from renewable, non-Red-Listed ingredients. This means no materials are flagged for having harmful chemicals.

The Green Terrazzo System supports the following compliance goals:

• LEED v4 Low-Emitting Materials credit: Zero-VOC resin system
• Human Health Protection: No chemicals of concern in the installed floor

TERRAZZCO Epoxy Terrazzo System reveals ingredient-level transparency through Health Product Declarations (HPDs), the industry standard for material health reporting.

What are the Environmental Benefits of Terrazzo Over the Building’s Life?

Terrazzo’s environmental advantage compounds over time. The longer the building stands, the greater the sustainability differential between terrazzo and replacement-cycle materials.

• No replacement waste: A carpet floor in a 50-year commercial building generates 4 to 5 full replacement cycles, each sending the material to landfill and consuming new materials, labor, and energy for installation. A terrazzo floor in the same building generates zero replacement waste.
• Refinishing vs replacement: When terrazzo shows wear, it can be ground and repolished. No material is removed. Instead the terrazzo is renewed to its original state. Routine maintenance requires only dry mopping, damp mopping, and occasional resealing.
• Thin system = less material: Epoxy terrazzo is installed at 1/4″ thickness. This material efficiency reduces raw material input per square foot compared to thicker flooring systems, reducing the embodied carbon of the installation.
• Low-maintenance chemistry: Sealers protect the surface against staining and scratching, extending the interval between refinishing events and reducing the total volume of maintenance products applied over the floor’s life.

Sustainable Building Supply At TERRAZZCO

At Concord Terrazzo Company, we take pride in delivering a green terrazzo finish for those looking for sustainable building materials for their terrazzo projects. TERRAZZCO® Brand Products carries a supply of recycled materials to meet this cause such as recycled glass, recycled porcelain, and recycled concrete. Concord Terrazzo Company crushes, cleans, and packages all aggregate chips at our Charlotte location. We have a variety of aggregates in supply that are both beautiful for design purposes and affordable. These aggregates are great additions in many applications such as floors, precast stairs, wall bases and countertops.

During the installation process, materials are efficiently used, reducing waste in the process. In fact, epoxy terrazzo is thin in size at a one-quarter inch, making it very resourceful in large areas of space. TERRAZZCO epoxy resins are tested and proven to have zero VOCs, improving the overall indoor air quality of projects using TERRAZZCO materials.

On top of the terrazzo, we apply a sealer to help protect the flooring. As a result, your terrazzo floors can resist stain, scratches, and other damages. The important fact to know here is that by maintaining your floors properly, the less likely the floor will need replacing. This helps conserve Earth’s valuable resources in the long run.

The LEED Rating System recognizes the positive environmental benefits of using sustainable and regionally produced materials. Since terrazzo uses recycled materials, architects and designers will benefit from using aggregates from TERRAZZCO® Brand Products.

Conclusion

There are many aggregates that a designer can include with a terrazzo floor. We encourage you to view our aggregates to find the perfect choice for your next project. If you have questions about our supply of aggregates then please contact Concord Terrazzo Company and we will gladly provide further details about TERRAZZCO® Brand Products. Reach out to us via email at info@terrazzco.com or complete our online form.