Sustainability Series: Eco-Friendly Cleaning Products

We caught up with the team at FILA Solutions to hear more about their eco-friendly cleaning products.

What does sustainability mean when it comes to stone care?

Natural stone is a sustainable material for home decor, but even when well-installed it can be subject to general wear and tear. Maintaining and protecting your stone should be a top priority and we believe that it can be done in a more sustainable way. Although two materials may look the same, they can have very different technical properties. This is particularly important with regard to a stone’s sensitivity to acids and water absorption. With so many products on the market, it can be confusing. Our FILA GREEN LINE aims to make things a little more straightforward.

Our water-based sealer MP90 ECO XTREME, is an eco-friendly cleaning product that can be used to protect all types of natural stone with polished, brushed and matte honed finishes. Additionally, CLEANER PRO has a pH-neutral formulation which is great for any surface, including sensitive stones that need a little extra care, like marble. Both of these products are also highly biodegradable and nontoxic. We believe that great stone care should never mean jeopardising your own health or the health of our planet.

How important is sustainability to you as a business?

At FILA, we strive to deliver the best solutions for the treatment, protection and maintenance of ceramic and natural stone.

It is important to us that the methods we recommend respect the environment too. Our commitment to the planet involves every aspect of the brand, and we continually monitor our ecological impact. We also respect the applicable environmental legislation across all of our branches and actively raise awareness of environmental issues with all employees.

We focus on developing our products with the end-user in mind, and we’re proud to say our FILA GREEN LINE has low emissions of volatile hydrocarbons. This means our eco-friendly cleaning products respect not only the nature of the material being treated but also the environment and the health of the person using them.

We’re also working hard to reduce our environmental impact and upon signing Amazon’s Climate Pledge, FILA is on its way to becoming carbon neutral by 2040. We were also recently awarded an EcoVadis silver medal for our efforts towards more sustainable methods. Only a few days ago, FILA was listed in the top 100 Italian companies for sustainability by FORBES.

What steps have you taken to ensure that you prioritise sustainability as a business?

At FILA, we believe that calculating your carbon footprint can be a great first step to supporting the environment. Here are five ways FILA is reducing carbon emissions to prevent the most catastrophic impacts of climate change:

1. Water recycling

Each of our divisions is directly involved in our eco-philosophy. As dictated by a regional plan for water harvesting, we follow strict protocols for managing rainwater.

2. Photovoltaic technology

We have reduced CO2 emissions by 33,958 kg/year with the installation of an innovative photovoltaic system and by using electricity generated only from sustainable sources. This amount of CO2 can be equated to driving around the world 181 times in a car of typical consumption.

3. Highly biodegradable products

FILA’s GREEN LINE cleaners have a highly biodegradable formula, 99% of which becomes biodegradable in just 28 days.

4. Our concentrated cleaner also means less waste and packaging

Recently Amazon has recognised our products DETERDEK PRO and CLEANER PRO for their effective packaging design. By removing water and air, these products don’t require as much packaging and are, therefore, more efficient to ship. By offering higher coverage rates at high concentrations, we have significantly reduced the carbon emissions of our eco-friendly cleaning products. Since 2012, we’ve also drastically reduced our overall waste to create and distribute our products by 20%.

5. Nontoxic, green formulas

As a company, we believe that environmental goals should become concrete actions, which is why we created our sustainable GREEN LINE. In this range, you’ll find our concentrated cleaner which is a popular choice among professionals and homeowners alike. CLEANER PRO delicately cleans all types of floors, including acid-sensitive stone, thanks to its pH-neutral formulation.

Here are 10 rules that our FILA GREEN LINE follows:

1. High biodegradability.
2. Our GREEN LINE products comply with VOC regulations because they emit low levels of volatile hydrocarbons – some are VOC-free altogether.
3. Free from ozone-harming solvents.
4. Incombustible and non-toxic.
5. High concentration: therefore providing better coverage and as a result, less waste.
6. With a pH between 3 and 12, these products are high-performing yet surface-safe.
7. Free of hazardous formaldehyde or hypochlorites.
8. Non-metallised waxes: the presence of metals in substances is highly polluting for water.
9. The choice of water-soluble solvents (excludes those most toxic for the user and polluting for waters i.e. carbitols and cellosolves).
10. Free from phthalates as plasticisers in all wax formulas which are often responsible for reproduction problems in animals and humans.

Is there any advice that you would give our clients who are conscious about the environment?

Environmental responsibility doesn’t just stop at purchasing stone from a reputable source. The methods you use to clean and protect your stone play an important role and daily habits can make a big difference too. Never use an abrasive brush to prevent scratching, and blot up spills as soon as they happen. We suggest mopping regularly simple green cleaning solutions for your natural stone, such as FILA’s CLEANER PRO. This will help to prevent dirt and grit from getting ground into the surface and wearing away the finish.

Next, we’d recommend a water-based sealer, like MP90 ECO XTREME. This will contribute to the appearance and performance of natural stone whilst also keeping the environment healthy.