One of the most positive things I have see in my years of researching green materials for interiors, is that increasingly mainstream manufacturers feel that they must have a green story to compete. It used to be that green countertop materials were made by small producers such as Vetrazzo or Paperstone, who just wanted to do the right thing. Now the big manufacturers are putting out green countertops products. One of the great things about this is that it offers the consumers some options that are easy to order, and have a reasonable price. I like quartz based countertops anyway. Many consumers know them by their trade names: Zodiaq, or CeasarStone. They are green because they are low maintenance, low emitting, durable, replace a product that would have to be mined, and are made of one of the most plentiful minerals on earth. Now many of the manufacturers of Quartz countertops are creating products with recycled content.
Constantino has made a separate line of green countertops, called ECO. The eco line is made of 75% recycled content including glass, mirrors, porcelain and stone scrap. My favorite is White Diamond, and I must admit I am not a huge fan of the ones with the mirror fragments. They are just too sparkly.
In Ceasar Stone I love the Smokey Ash, it is a warm black that I would love to use in a kitchen. That particular product is 15% recycled, but the their recycled colors range up to 40%.
Zodiaq also makes a line of recycled content solid surface countertops. Their color range is just lovely, and functional. I love Flax,but it is well worth checking out their whole color range.
Slabs for countertops are heavy things, so one of the things you should think about is where a product is manufactured, and how it is shipped. Ocean Freight has one of the lower carbon emissions per ton, and so slabs that are shipped directly to a port, then stocked there, have a pretty low carbon footprint. Ceasar Stone is made in Israel, Constantino is made in Spain, and both are shipped to the port close to where it will be used. Zodiac is made in Canada, more local, but shipped via truck which is higher carbon per ton per mile. So if you live near Canada, Zodiac would have the lower carbon footprint, and if you live near a sea port, or in the EU, you might choose one of the other two.
I do feel that it is worth mentioning one other choice. Cabria quartz surfaces do not have a recycled content. However they are made in North America, of N. American quartz, and thus neither the materials or the finished product have to travel far if you are in USA or Canada.
