Make Every Day Earth Day.
Dust–to–Dust™ Program
At the end of your countertop’s life, we'll take it back and recycle 100% of the material at no charge. Just complete our “Dust-to-Dust™ Recycling Form”, pack it, ship it and we'll take care of the rest!
“Who knew beer bottle countertops could be so stylish and sleek…”
Designers are also impressed with Elements’ versatility. “Who knew beer bottle countertops could be so stylish and sleek,” said Nancy Soccio, designer of Dolce Design. “They work beautifully in home designs from rustic to contemporary, with intriguing applications in virtually every room of the house.”
A “GREEN” Heritage
Durcon is a member of the USGBC (United States Green Building Council) and our surfaces meet various LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) standards, and may contribute toward several categories for LEED Certification. Durcon products also contribute to a healthier environment attaining Greenguard and Greenguard for Schools certification.
In addition, Durcon’s corporate-wide “Lean and Green” initiative further reduces our waste, energy use, and water consumption. We also provide a “Dust-to-Dust™” recycling program. This program encourages the return of any Elements by Durcon material that has outlasted its intended use for recycling and conversion into usable construction material.
Green Initiatives
Eco-friendly – Naturally inspired
Elements is formulated to stand up to the harshest environment. At Durcon, the company behind Elements, we understand today’s consumers are concerned about the future of our planet and reducing their carbon footprint. To help address those concerns while providing an aesthetically desirable product, we have developed a new surfaces material we believe is ideal for those seeking an eco-friendly alternative.
Developed from a proprietary blend of post-consumer recycled glass (ie. clear beer bottles), natural quartz minerals and resin, the material is solid, non-porous, never requires sealing, and is homogenous in consistency. Its unique manufacturing process produces an incredibly durable, eco-friendly countertop surface proven through time. And, Elements is certified by Greenguard, as a very low-VOC emitting material.
For consumers, designers, remodelers and fabricators wanting to leave a “green” mark, Elements is the ideal choice over the more conventional countertop surfaces on the market.
Here’s why it’s green:+
- Elements is composed with post-consumer recycled glass, reducing the amount of glass going into landfills; up to 170 tons of glass diverted from landfills to date
- Elements is one of the first recycled glass countertops with NSF 51 Certification for food contact
- Certified by Greenguard for both Indoor Air Quality and Children and Schools
- LEED Contribution (can contribute toward EQ & MR categories, including regionally sourced)
- Elements offers a Dust-to-Dust™ program - allowing your countertop to be returned for recycling at the end of its life
- Recognized SCS-certification for recycled content
Dust-to-Dust™ Program
Durcon is committed to developing sustainable products that minimize the impact on our environment. Made in the USA, Elements is 100% recyclable at the end of its life, low-VOC and each square foot incorporates three post-consumer recycled glass bottles. Extremely durable, Elements can also be recycled through the company’s Dust-to-Dust™ program.
At the end of your countertop’s life, we’ll take it back and recycle 100% of the material at no charge. All you have to do is complete our “Dust-to-Dust™ Recycling Form”, pack it up and ship it to us and we'll take care of the rest!
PROVEN AND TESTED
Scientifically proven.
Named for its scientifically proven background and eco-friendly properties, Elements was developed from Durcon's years of research, testing and manufacturing experience in serving the scientific community.
- Durcon's established product line is the product of choice for such prestigious facilities as Salk Institute, NASA, Princeton University, Yale and Harvard, The FBI Crime Lab, Fort Detrick Research Institute and Johns Hopkins University.
Elements has achieved the following certifications, which reflect the company's commitment to healthy, sustainable, and innovative design.
Durcon Achieves Greenguard® Certification:+
People spend about 90% of their time indoors…
Elements has achieved Greenguard® Certifications in both Indoor Air Quality and Children & Schools which means that your countertops allow for better quality indoor air by meeting low chemical emission standards.
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is recognized as an important concern in the creation of healthy, high-performance buildings and is highlighted as a key component of numerous sustainable building programs and procurement guidelines around the world. Chemicals and particle emissions including, allergens and molds are the primary sources of indoor air pollution and can have significant health impacts on building occupants and economic consequences for building owners, architects and designers. GREENGUARD Certification programs provide scientific rigor based on best practice guidelines, stringent evaluation criteria and robust verification procedures to effectively control the sources of these environmental pollutants.
Durcon Earns SCS Recycled Content Certification:+
Recognized Credibility…
Elements has achieved Recycled Content Certification from Scientific Certification Systems (SCS).
The SCS Material Content Certification verifies that Durcon is working responsibly to minimize environmental impact during the manufacturing process. Using recycled content helps conserve energy and resources, alleviates pressure on landfill space and reduces the need for transportation during certain phases of a product's life cycle.
Products certified by SCS as containing recycled materials can help meet the criteria for LEED MR 4.1 and/or MR 4.2 as specified by the U.S. Green Building Council. Architects and designers who specify building components for LEED projects prefer third-party certified products such as Elements.
Durcon Incorporated Earns NSF/ANSI 51 Certification:+
Element countertops have obtained NSF/ANSI 51 certification as suitable for use in food service areas. NSF International certification is the industry standard by which the materials and finishes used in manufacturing food equipment are judged and it is widely used by specifiers to select safe materials for use in food areas.
Eco-Friendly Countertops Count for LEED Certification:+
Environmentally conscious consumers know that the more recycled, green products they use on their projects, the closer they are to reducing negative impacts on our planet. The building industry recognized this and created a program to provide incentives and rewards for consumers and businesses that use sustainable, green building materials.
Elements can contribute toward:
- MRc 4.1 Recycled Content – Elements contains at a minimum, 10% post-consumer recycled material.
Materials & Resources:
- MRc 2.1 and 2.2 Construction Waste Management: Divert 50% or 75% from Disposal through the Elements Dust-to-Dust TM program
- MRc 5.1 Local or Regional Materials if the project is located within 500 miles of one of Durcon's manufacturing location in Taylor, Texas
Indoor Environmental Quality:
- EQc 4.4 or 4.5 Low Emitting Materials: Health care and school buildings only
Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) is an independent certification program by the US Green Building Council that considers the number of eco-friendly materials used in a construction project. A LEED certified project entitles builders to a variety of state and local government incentives and also increases outside consumer and professional interest.
