With health and the environment at the forefront, the Spanish manufacturer has reformulated its Silestone collections to reduce the amount of silica in each slab, as well as revamping its production process to use renewable energy and recycled water
Stone World recently had the opportunity to sit down with Valentin Tijeras, Cosentino’s global vice president of product, and Santiago Alfonso, vice president of communication and corporate reputation, to discuss the company’s commitment to improving upon their products in the best interest of human health and wellness, as well as being environmentally conscious. After three years of research and development, Cosentino introduces HybriQ+ technology, an innovative new process that significantly reduces the presence of crystalline silica and replaces it with a hybrid formula made up of mineral and reused raw materials.
“We have been working very hard for the last three years thinking about how to reinvent ourselves,” explained Tijeras. “We wanted to make a new generation product. We challenged ourselves to make a quartz with as little silica as possible. We have a funny saying here [in Spain], ‘It’s like making paella without rice.’