Pianeta

The Challenge of the Circular Economy

Reading time minutes

Circular economy is a fundamental approach for achieving environmental sustainability. It is based on the recovery, regeneration and reuse of materials and resources with the goal of reducing waste and refuse, and preserving natural resources. We have developed a closed-cycle production model which involves the use of production scrap, recovery of packaging, process wastewater and the excess heat generated in various production phases such as firing.

Environmental quality criteria are applied to the entire manufacturing cycle, limiting consumption of natural resources and environmental impact, through the restoration of quarries’ landscape and vegetation, controlled waste management, the optimisation of energy consumption and the recycling of industrial wastewater.

Recycled Paper and Packaging and Environmentally Friendly Printers

The production of traditional packaging requires a large amount of resources, including oil, energy, and water. By using packaging made from recovered recycled materials, we are able to reduce the amount of waste ending up in landfills, as well as the energy consumption and the resources needed to produce new packaging.

Our packaging is 100% recyclable, and our pallets are made with wood sourced also from forests certified under the FSC (Forest Stewardship Council) system, meaning they originate from responsibly managed and traceable forestry operations.

Starting in 2025, we have chosen to replace our white packaging with kraft cardboard packaging, which is lighter yet offers the same performance as the previous version. This choice makes a significant difference for the environment: switching to kraft cardboard is expected to contribute to a reduction of more than 2,000 tons of CO₂ emissions (data source used for the calculation: FEFCO — European Federation of Corrugated Board Manufacturers [ES8.1]), thanks to the greater sustainability of the supply chain involved in producing this new packaging, which requires fewer raw materials, fewer transport operations, and therefore lower fuel consumption. Additionally, kraft cardboard allows for the recovery of 80% of post‑consumer paper, compared to 60% for white cardboard.

The use of next‑generation printers across all offices represents another step toward the responsible use of resources. To date, 180 new machines have been installed, reducing environmental impact thanks to lower energy consumption: on one hand, their toner cartridges are smaller and generate less waste to be disposed of, while on the other, the faster printing process allows for a greater number of pages to be produced with less energy.

By purchasing these printers, Marazzi Group also supports global and certified reforestation projects.

Industrial water recycling reaches 118%

We recognise water as an essential resource for the communities in which we operate, and we are committed to ensuring its efficient and responsible use across all processes and products. Thanks to a careful management system, we recover 100% of the wastewater generated during tile production. This prevents industrial wastewater from being discharged into waterways or the sewage system. Our industrial water recycling rate reaches 118% and also includes water recovered from other companies in the sector.

100% Process Waste Recovered

Production of tiles generates a certain portion of waste material, inert waste which would generally be sent to landfill, wasting energy and transport. Our technology allows us to recover 100% of fired and unfired waste scraps from tiles rejected due to defects or breakages, grinding everything which was previously considered waste back up into the raw materials.

We also recover raw waste from our customers. From the wastewater of the washes, we recover the solid part by decantation, called ceramic sludge, which we reuse in the production of the mixtures. The residual dust from the dry squaring plants is dissolved in water and reintroduced into the raw material grinding mill.

Waste Recycling

A total of 99.6% of waste deriving from the production process and maintenance is consigned to specialist firms for recycling. Only 0.4% of all waste generated within the company ends up landfills.