Sustainability

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We offer a samples return process for tiles (including ones that aren't ours)

Our Story

40 for 40 with World Land Trust

Our 40 for 40 programme donates to the work of the World Land Trust every time you specify tiles with 40% or higher recycled content.

With more than 40 ranges to choose from, 40 for 40 is an opportunity for projects to contribute to the extraordinary work of the World Land Trust. For every square metre of tiles specified, we'll donate 40p to land purchase projects in Argentina and Kenya.

Since we began the 40 for 40 programme, your projects have protected over 785,000 m2 of biodiverse habitat, protecting some of the world's most endangered species.

40 for 40 is available on a range of sustainable tiles, like the 98% recycled Principle and 100% biodegradable Criaterra, as well as wide range of design tiles and specialist solutions like the British made Ethical Stone Terrazzo.

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Partnerships with sustainable production pioneers

We work with sustainable production pioneers to bring you tiles that contribute to a more sustainable specification.

Alongside providing a range of high-recycled content tiles, we partner with producers that are focused on making tiles more sustainably. One of our primary manufacturers in Italy is a Certified B Corporation manufacturer. It generates 100% of its own electricity, recycles 99.9% of water used in production and uses highly efficient kilns. Another partner has developed a closed loop production process, reusing production waste, process wastewater and heat. It also restores the landscape of vegetation of quarries.

Partnerships with sustainable production pioneers is just one way we can help you to develop more sustainable tile specifications.

40 for 40

Since we began 40 for 40, we've protected over 484,000 square metres of biodiverse habitat in partnership with World Land Trust.

Every time you purchase 40% minimum recycled content tiles, we’ll donate 40 pence per square metre to the work of the trust. To date, our contribution has helped the World Land Trust to secure the future of more than 2,600,00 acres of land, protecting over 11,000 species. Currently, the programme is supporting land purchase in Argentina and Kenya and we've committed to continuing the 40 for 40 partnership for the future.

See 40 for 40 tiles

Festival of Sustainability

The latest in our Festival of Sustainability event series was an inspiring night of ideas and actions that we can take to preserve our planet.

With Dr Aidan Bell on pragmatic sustainability, more about our habitat protection projects with the World Land Trust and furniture made from old denim with PLANQ; the Festival of Sustainability was a night of memorable talk on how we can take positive actions to stop global warming.

Held in Clerkenwell's Crypt on the Green, the night saw a fantastic attendance from across the design and specification community, demonstrating its growing reputation as a night not to be missed. Past speakers have included Orms Architects, World Land Trust, Green Spec, WRAP, Woodalls Design, Make Architects and more.

The Festival of Sustainability encourages meaningful conversations as a catalyst for positive change.

Speakers at the Parkside Festival of Sustainability

Tile ranges with high recycled content

Select high recycled content tiles for your specification.

Through partnering with sustainable production pioneers and discovering one-of-a-kind products, we can provide a range of high recycled content tiles. Using the long first life of ceramic and porcelain tiles, combined with a high proportion of recycled content, these tiles bring a more sustainable material choice to your specification.

We provide specialist technical solutions such as Technical Stone Marble made with 93% recycled marble dust and chips, as well as design tile ranges like Urbancrete with more than 50% recycled content.

Our specification team can help you to find direct choices to meet the needs of your project.

Studio sample returns

Return your unwanted tile samples to our Sustainability and Design Studios for reuse or recycling.

Do you have unwanted tile samples hanging around and not sure what to do with them? Our free Studio Samples Return service is a positive action you can take to put them to good use. Drop your samples off at our Clerkenwell and Chelsea studios and we’ll put them back into the sample stream or recycle damaged or discontinued ones.

We know that not every tile you have laying around will be from Parkside, so you can drop off samples from any manufacturer and make a positive difference.

Using green energy and cutting vehicle emissions

In tandem with our partnerships, we’re taking action to change how we use resources.

Our Leicester headquarters and studios in London and the Cotswolds use green energy providers to reduce our use of natural gas to provide electricity. Hybrid working makes it difficult to eliminate gas from our electricity use, but we’ve made sure that we account for this in our Carbon Balanced calculations.

We’re also moving towards a more efficient fleet, using the latest diesel engines and trialling liquid natural gas to power articulated lorries. Cutting down on things like business travel is also helping to drive down the emissions of our business.

Using green energy and cutting vehicle emissions

Cutting down on packaging waste in deliveries

Our ethos on packaging is pragmatism. We strive for minimal environmental impact, with an emphasis on materials that are lightweight, low carbon, and fully recyclable.

All tiles leaving our warehouse are shipped to projects in cardboard boxes. These are fully recyclable through conventional waste streams and, typically, high in recycled content.

We recognise that in some applications plastic packaging can be preferable due to its low weight, low carbon footprint, and high durability. As members of Plastic Pact, we are working alongside NGO WRAP to ensure our plastic packaging is 100% recyclable, and that it includes at least 30% recycled content.

We can also provide a Carbon Balanced delivery for your project, calculating the emissions of transportation to support World Land Trust projects.

Mass produced 91% recycled conntent wall tile

The mass-produced recycled glass and ceramic wall tile

Made with Alusid®, Principle represents a huge step forward for the ceramic tile industry, as a mass produced high recycled content wall tile made in standard tile production.

In 2019, along with Alusid, we launched Sequel Vibe, a wall tile created using 98% recycled materials from post-consumer glass and pre-consumer vitrified ceramic. Because of the hand-made nature of Sequel Vibe, it is difficult to scale to mass production.

Sequel Principle takes the original materials and principles of Sequel Vibe and uses a patented process to adapt them, so they are suitable for use in standard machine-operated ceramic tile production processes. For the first time, it is now possible to mass produce a high recycled content tile using standard manufacturing.

With a tile body made entirely from by-products of other manufacturing processes and recycled glass and ceramic, Sequel Principle has a total recycled content of 91.3%. The materials used for its production are locally sourced in Spain. Every square metre of the tile diverts 8kg of waste from landfill.

See the Range

The zero waste wall tile

Made from natural stone powders, clays and plant fibres, Criaterra v2 is a 100% biodegradable wall tile.

Criaterra is entirely made from natural materials, entirely recyclable and entirely biodegradable: a true zero-waste wall tile. Using up to 70% upcycled content from quarry waste (stone powders), clays and plant fibres, the wall tile uses a low temperature process that reduces greenhouse gases and takes 90% less energy than conventional ceramics.

Developed during an extensive five-year R&D project by a team of designers and material engineers, led by sustainability designer, Adital Ela. Applying contemporary science and technology to traditional techniques, the team has created a material that’s as strong as concrete yet six times more thermally efficient.

The recycled glass and porcelain wall tile

Sequel is created using 98% recycled materials from post-consumer glass and pre-consumer vitrified ceramic carefully bound during a low-impact process.

With glass sourced from bottles, windows and car windscreens that have reached the end of their useful life cycle and porcelain sourced from sanitaryware and fine china tableware manufacturers, Sequel is a waste-efficient and sustainable tile.

What’s more, when the tile has reached the end of its useful life, it can be recycled within the very same process used to create it.

Sequel 98% recycled wall tile from Parkside

Learn through our sustainable surfaces CPD

Sustainable Surface Materials is a CPD seminar that will help improve your understanding of taking sustainable choices in specification.

Exploring the whole product life cycle of tiles, as well as material sourcing and biodegradable and recycled compositions, you’ll learn how you can specify sustainable tile materials without compromising aesthetics or performance.

We can present Sustainable Surface Materials in your office, or why not take advantage of our Sustainability and Design Studios to expand your knowledge and discover our range of direct choices in sustainable tiles.

Book your CPD

Working together to create sustainable Tile Specifications

By working together towards more sustainable tile specifications, we can make a difference and have a significant impact on global climate change and sustainability.

Contact our team

Our Sustainability Policy