Built to Last, Made to Matter: Sustainability Focused Ceramic & Porcelain Tile Companies

You are starting to specify finishes and you want to do the right thing without compromising aesthetics. What products are resilient, have low embodied energy and water, support indoor air quality, produce minimal waste and offer a wide range of aesthetic possibilities? Tall order right?  Well…not really and you most likely use them already. What I am referring to is none other than tiles. However like all building materials, the sustainability of tiles exist along a spectrum. Here, we’ll look at a few leading sustainable brands and how you can identify the right fit for your needs.

Green Squared Certification: The Tile Industry’s Gold Standard for Sustainability

The first place to start is to look for tiles that have third party certifications. One of the primary certifications for tiles is Green Squared. Developed by the Tile Council of North America (TCNA), Green Squared is the tile industry’s multi-attribute sustainability certification. It sets a rigorous, transparent standard for assessing both tile products and the companies that make them—so designers and specifiers can be confident that the materials they choose are contributing to healthier spaces and a healthier planet. You Can visit Green Squared Ecomedes’ portal here.

Green Squared (ANSI A138.1) evaluates a product’s sustainability across multiple categories: material sourcing, manufacturing practices, corporate responsibility, product performance, and innovation. When you see the Green Squared mark, you know the tile meets high standards for environmental, health, and social impact—not just at the product level, but across the entire supply chain.

Florida Tile: Scaled Manufacturing with a Sustainable Backbone

A major U.S. manufacturer with a global presence, Florida Tile has fully embraced the Green Squared framework across its product lines and production processes. With its main manufacturing facility in Lawrenceburg, Kentucky, Florida Tile produces the majority of its porcelain tile domestically and operates under both Green Squared and ISO 14001 environmental management standards.

Florida Tile: Artecrete High Definition Porcelain

Their tiles contain up to 40% recycled content, and the company is steadily working toward zero-waste production through robust recycling programs and closed-loop systems. Florida Tile also offers full transparency with Health Product Declarations (HPDs) and Environmental Product Declarations (EPDs)—tools that make sustainable spec writing easier and more credible. From resource efficiency to third-party certification, Florida Tile is proof that large-scale production and sustainability can absolutely go hand-in-hand.

Fireclay Tile: Craftsmanship Meets Climate Action

Fireclay Tile is a California-based, Certified B Corporation known for its colorful, custom, handmade tile—and its deep commitment to sustainability. While Fireclay products aren't Green Squared certified, the company itself operates with a level of transparency and responsibility that reflects Green Squared’s core values and should be considered as one of the most sustainable tile manufacturers in the industry.

Fireclay Tile: Salesforce Dallas Mosaic by Shinji Murakami

Their ceramic tiles contain over 50% recycled content. Every tile is made to order, minimizing waste and overproduction. Fireclay’s factory runs on 100% renewable electricity, and they ship carbon-neutral, using sustainable packaging materials. The company also donates 1% of all sales through its Fireclay Gives program, supporting environmental justice, climate action, and community resilience. Fireclay may lead with design, but sustainability is clearly baked into every tile.

Crossville Tile: A Pioneer In Sustainable Innovation

When it comes to sustainability leadership in the tile industry, Crossville Tile stands out as a driving force. This Tennessee-based manufacturer was the first company in the U.S. to achieve Green Squared certification, and the first to implement a tile take-back and recycling program. Their commitment to circularity is serious—over the years, they’ve diverted more than 100 million pounds of waste from landfills through post-industrial and post-consumer recycling initiatives.

Crossville Tile: Cotto Moderno

Crossville’s tiles regularly include up to 40% recycled content, and the company has partnered with TOTO USA to turn discarded porcelain toilets into raw materials for new tile. Their facilities are designed for energy and water efficiency, and they offer HPDs, EPDs, and Declare labels to support healthy, transparent product selection. Crossville was doing sustainability before it was cool—and they’re still leading the way.

The Bottom Line

In a world where materials are expected to perform on every level, ceramic, porcelain and glass tile stands out as a solution that’s both resilient and sustainable. With unmatched durability, low maintenance, and long lifespans, tile is built to endure—and when paired with responsible manufacturing and certifications like Declare Label and Green Squared®, it becomes a powerful tool for sustainable design.

Brands like Fireclay Tile, Florida Tile, and Crossville are proving that tile can meet the highest standards of beauty, performance, and environmental responsibility. By specifying Green Squared certified and Declare labeled products, architects and designers can create spaces that are not only built to last, but built to care—for people and the environment.