For many years, the name Cosentino has been synonymous with high-quality, technologically advanced surfaces for use in the home and public spaces. Brands such as Silestone®, Dekton® and Sensa by Cosentino® are renowned for the high-end appeal they give to any design, and are coveted by architects and designers alike.
In the last years, Cosentino Group has put sustainability at the forefront of their business, addressing financial, social and environmental sustainability alike. Since 2015 the company has been committed to changing their business model in ways that allow them to address their commitment to the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. But rather than just stating a blanket adherence to the UN rubric, Cosentino recently reevaluated these commitments and redefined which are the specific strategic SDGs for Cosentino based on their Corporate Responsibility Report materiality matrix.
They identified nine of the total 17 goals as being directly impacted by, and of strategic importance to, their business. Among them are commitments to support health and wellbeing, clean energy, work and economic growth, industry and infrastructure, sustainable cities and communities, climate action, and importantly, instigating partnerships to allow these goals to be achieved.
In line with their commitment to Sustainable Development Goal 12 around ensuring sustainable consumption and production patterns, Cosentino has developed Hybriq. Hybriq is a new technology developed by Cosentino for Silestone Manufacturing, based on the use of 100% electrical renewable energy, 99% water reuse and the use of recycled raw material. In 2021, 100% of the company’s Silestone portfolio will be developed under HybriQ or HybriQ + technology (HybriQ + being colors that include a minimum of 20% recycled raw material in their composition).
The recycled raw materials in HybriQ+ is just one of the ways in which Cosentino demonstrates its approach to a circular economy model of business. They were the first company in the world to obtain the Sustainable Purchasing Certification, ISO 20400. Sustainable purchasing enables the company to improve productivity, evaluate performance and enable communication in the value chain.
Cosentino also closely monitors performance in energy, water and waste management. All electricity consumed in their factory comes from renewable sources, and they are a zero water discharge company - meaning all water consumed is treated and reused. They also have their own waste management plant - which, combined with their water management strategy of zero discharge, allows them to reach 40% valorisation of their waste.
Since 2016 they’ve been running a project called Circularity, which aims to increase their reuse of waste even further, as well as develop new and innovative ways to recycle and upcycle it, both internally and externally. The project has resulted in more than 1.5 million m2 of Dekton and Silestone with recovered or recycled material in their composition. Cosentino has also developed several external initiatives for waste valorization, such as the use of sludge and slab rests for the manufacture of synthetic soils, and the use of sludge in replace of part of mineral filler in the composition of asphalt binder.
Driven by its pursuit of those nine identified Sustainable Development Goals, the company continues its drive towards vastly improved sustainability outcomes across its operations and impact to deliver luxury surfaces that not only look great, but have a positive lasting impact on the world throughout their lifecycle.
