3 Reasons Terrazzo Should Be Your Sustainable Flooring Choice

There are so many people out there who think that in order for a material to be considered “eco-friendly” or “sustainable” it must be 100% natural. This leaves epoxy terrazzo, with it’s synthetic, resinous matrix, left out of the mix (pun intended?)–but I’m here to shed some light on the subject. Need a sustainable flooring choice? Here are things you need to know.

The US Green Building Council, or USGBC, has made it particularly easy for us to determine whether or not something is a sustainable and eco-friendly option: they’ve established something called “LEED Standards.”

You may have heard of them!

According to the USGBC website, LEED stands for Leadership in Energy & Environmental Design and it is a “certification program that recognizes building strategies and practices” that meet certain pre-requisites, thus deeming them sustainable. The USGBC awards projects on the LEED standards they meet. As a result, the more points a project has, the more sustainable and eco-friendly it is.

We’ve condensed 3 of the LEED standards that apply to terrazzo to help you out a bit:

1. Recycled Materials

Points toward LEED certification can be awarded for projects utilizing recycled materials, not just “natural” ones. Terrazzo not only can use natural stone such as marble and granite but many modern designs also use recycled glass. And we can’t forget about those divider strips — its metals come from post-industrial sources as well.

2. Zero VOCs

Points may also be awarded if the installation of your terrazzo does not use materials that release VOCs, or Volatile Organic Compounds, at or above a certain level. The terrazzo installer should have a certificate of compliance if they claim this standard. This guarantees that products go through extensive testing guaranteeing their claims of sustainability. Also, this particular standard promotes high indoor air quality, which is a plus for everyone!

Note: As of September 2018, TERRAZZCO Brand Products is GREENGUARD certified. That’s great news when the time comes for you to select materials for your sustainable flooring projects!

3. Location of Quarries

Architects acquire LEED points toward a project if raw materials come from within a certain radius. If materials come from within a 500-mile radius of the project, not your office, then you can obtain LEED points. This encourages the use of US-based quarries and other such companies. This is great news as the use of regional materials reduces the carbon footprint for our planet!

Going Green with Terrazzo

Download “Going Green with Terrazzo”. See why terrazzo is one of the most eco-friendly flooring options today. Understand more about how terrazzo contributes to LEED points for sustainable building projects.

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Next time you’re worried about the sustainability of your project–and more specifically, that of the materials you’re using–take a peek back at this list. Remember: synthetic does not mean unsustainable! So there you have it: 3 reasons terrazzo should be your sustainable flooring choice.