Redefining ceramic sanitaryware production: 4 solutions to make it more sustainable
The sanitaryware manufacturing market is actively aiming to reduce its environmental impact, thereby extending product lifespans and reducing carbon emissions. Imerys’ range of sanitaryware solutions shows significant promise in limiting the industry’s environmental impact, and the four solutions discussed below are exemplary in this regard.
Reducing the carbon footprint of ceramic sanitaryware manufacturing involves adopting sustainable practices and innovative technologies ranging from mineral selection, production and firing innovation and transportation optimization. The possibilities are extensive.
1. Reducing waste in the toilet manufacturing process with ShrinkSan kiln furniture system
Throughout the toilet manufacturing process, manufacturers typically use disposable plates. Imerys' ShrinkSan kiln furniture introduces the use of reusable plates, which are placed between the tray of the kiln and the ceramic toilet being fired. This solution’s innovative design adjusts to the size of the toilet during the firing process, reducing defects and waste. Since the plates can be reused more than 800 times, ShrinkSan helps avoid an estimated three tons of waste for every 1,000 toilet pieces produced, thus reducing sanitaryware manufacturers’ costs and reducing carbon emissions by 76% compared to traditional disposable plates. In recognition of this outstanding sustainability performance, ShrinkSan is part of Imerys' SustainAgility™ range of sustainable solutions and has achieved the highest ranking: Pioneer.
2. Minimizing energy consumption with lightweight extruded batts
Another example of how Imerys' kiln furniture helps reduce carbon emissions is through lightweight extruded cordierite batts. Batts are pieces of the kiln care superstructure, and cordierite is a particular type of mineral. Thanks to their innovative design these batts reduce the overall firing batch weight by 17% without compromising the quality. As a result, they consume less energy during firing, resulting in energy savings and a reduction in carbon emissions.
3. Optimizing performance in high-pressure casting with Maxicast
Maxicast fluid kaolin is designed to enhance the performance of high-density slurries, mixtures of minerals with water, used in high-pressure casting.
- Sanitaryware producers use less processed water, as the properties of this kaolin make the slurry require less.
- When used with suitable ball clay minerals, Maxicast makes ceramic items stronger and easier to handle.
- One of the key ingredients in sanitaryware, kaolin makes the finished ceramic pieces whiter and more durable.
4. Reducing vitrification temperatures and carbon emissions with Nyad M200 and M325 wollastonite grades
Nyad M200 and M325 are high-purity wollastonites ideal for ceramic glaze production. They improve the strength and appearance of glazes, making them more durable and aesthetically appealing. Wollastonite also helps lower the carbon footprint of bathroom sanitaryware products by minimizing the vitrification temperature.
Ceramic high-pressure casting is a way to produce tableware and bathroom sanitaryware products with intricate designs in large quantities, ensuring both cost-effectiveness and high quality.
Firing heats minerals to fuse particles. Modern ceramics must be fired at approximately 1250°C and necessitate specific schedules that control the kiln’s rate of rise and fall.
Minerals are the foundation for the entire toilet. Manufacturers mix minerals with water, then mold this paste and fire it to create sanitaryware. Our expertise in minerals allows us to create the perfect recipe to enhance toilets’ strength, gloss and whiteness, based on the customer’s needs. We use minerals to provide customers with tailor-made sanitaryware solutions that reflect their requests.
Imerys is the world’s leading supplier of mineral and prepared body solutions for the sanitaryware industry. Its product range includes ball clays, kaolin, chamotte, talc, wollastonite, feldspar and pegmatite.
The SustainAgility framework to help customers make informed decisions
To assess its products' environmental footprints and provide customers with reliable data, Imerys introduced the SustainAgility Solutions Assessment, a science-based life-cycle analysis method aligned with international standards. Currently, 65% of Imerys’ portfolio, including 100% of its UK kaolin and ball clay-based solutions for sanitaryware, has undergone life-cycle analysis assessments. Both by innovating to reduce the carbon footprint of its products and by helping customers make educated choices about the products they buy, Imerys is supporting the sanitaryware industry in its transition to a lower-carbon future.
Imerys is firmly committed to integrating sustainability into every aspect of its business, with ambitious 2030 targets recently validated by the Science Based Targets initiative to reduce scope 1 and 2 emissions by 42% and scope 3 emissions by 25% (tCO2eq) in absolute terms, compared to a 2021 baseline. Since 2022, the company has had a climate change roadmap in line with the Paris Agreement and the 1.5°C trajectory. The company's solutions for sanitaryware is just one example of how Imerys is innovating to support decarbonization.
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