IceStone - Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week

IceStone (Brooklyn NY) manufactures surfaces made from recycled glass and concrete. The durable surfaces can be used for countertops, window sills, indoor or outdoor flooring, shower walls, and more. But beyond the beautiful products, what does IceStone do to be a sustainable and responsible company?

By recycling glass and concrete, IceStone saves hundreds of tons of glass from landfills each year. The products are cradle to cradle certified and are manufactured in a day-lit factory. The factory has a cool, low-emissions manufacturing process. IceStone is working to become carbon-neutral, purchases renewable energy credits, and strives to reduce energy usage. The company is working toward water reduction goals and over 80% of the company's waste is recycled, recovered or composted. IceStone is implementing a grey-water recycling system. All petroleum-based machine lubricants have been replaced with soy-based lubricants. Additionally, IceStone conducts environmental education programs for employees.

IceStone’s mission also provides living-wages, health benefits, education programs and life-skill training to employees, including free English as a Second Language classes, all of which are tracked in the social audit with third-party verification. IceStone’s donation program provides free or discounted material to projects that share similar social and environmental goals, with Habitat for Humanity receiving annual donations. The company also partners with community, nonprofit, academic, industrial assistance and local social services groups to promote green-collar job creation, sustainable business practices, and the development of the green building industry.

Within the supply chain, IceStone encourages suppliers to improve sustainability standards. IceStone’s glass and mother-of-pearl are recycled from post-industrial and post-consumer sources. IceStone advocates for stronger glass recycling programs in New York in order to create an infrastructure that allows the commercial re-use of regional waste glass. The company buys cement regionally and advocates for the greening of the cement industry. IceStone continuously conducts product research to seek the most eco-friendly and local materials as possible.

Visit IceStone's website for a list of 10 things you can do to reduce your carbon footprint.

Sustainable & Responsible Business of the Week is a weekly behind-the-scenes look at what businesses are doing to be more sustainable and responsible in their operations.

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