Recently, my role at BNP Media expanded, as I am now Editor-In-Chief ofTILE Magazine. While I have been writing about tile for years as Editor of ContemporaryStone & Tile Design, this new assignment will focus heavily on some of the more technical aspects of the industry. With this in mind, I headed to Chandler, AZ, last week to attend Total Solutions Plus, a meeting of industry members from the National Tile Contractors Association (NTCA), Ceramic Tile Distributors Association (CTDA) and Tile Council of North America (TCNA). As I had hoped, attending the conference provided me with more insight into the tile industry, and it included educational seminars that were a valuable tool for me to gain more knowledge of the technical side of the industry.
While at Total Solutions Plus, TCNA announced "Green Squared" -- a new product certification program based on Standard A138.1 Specifications for Sustainable Ceramic Tiles, Glass Tiles and Tile Installation. TCNA developed the standard through a consensus body utilizing the ANSI (American National Standard) process, and it will oversee the Green Squared certification program. A "Green Squared Certified" mark will be awarded to products which have been verified by an authorized third party certifier to be in conformance with A138.1. The third party certifier will be NSF Sustainability SM, an organization that provides certification for more than 350,000 products in the area of food and water safety, health sciences, environment and sustainability. NSF will verify that all mandatory requirements and necessary elective credits are met through the certification process.