Local upstart, Environite, crafts a “green” plan

Environite is crafted from recycled glass wine and beer bottles in a process that uses no harsh chemicals or heat. Designed to compete with DuPont Corian and natural stones, it’s a local “green” building alternative. A Camano Island company looking for a creative solution to post-consumer waste has created environmentally conscious countertops.

Founded last fall, Environte uses discarded glass, particularly wine and beer bottles, to create “sustainable” and affordable synthetic surfaces that are durable, impervious to stains and discoloration, and, in the end, recyclable again.

Joseph Loomis, vice-president of business development at Environite, said the product was a culmination of experiments to find a use for bottles that would otherwise make their way to landfills. The concept was developed by John Carpenter, of RMD Composites on Camano, and is the first product of it’s kind, with a U.S. patent currently pending.

Environite has enormous potential and implications for “green” building, Loomis said, because, not only does it re-use a product that already exists, but it removes the need to process that “waste.”

“According to ‘Wine Business News,’ 25 percent of the carbon footprint resulting from wine growing, processing and distribution is attributed to the manufacture and disposal of the glass bottles,” Loomis said.

“Even municipalities with so-called glass recycling programs ultimately dispose of the glass in landfills,” he noted, adding that the glass is often crushed with a bulldozer and “saved” for indefinite future use.

For Loomis and Carpenter, this means they have a potentially valuable product at their fingertips, available from wineries, tasting rooms, bars and restaurants.

By grinding the glass and mixing it with amorphous silica and small amounts of resins in a process that uses no harsh chemicals or heat, Environite can manufacture a product that is 80 percent post-consumer glass with carbon footprint of virtually zero, Loomis said.

Countertops are then custom molded and installed in a single piece about an inchand a-half thick — no seams or grout to trap dirt, grime or odor-causing food particles, and it’s extremely heat-resistant. All that’s needed to clean the surfaces is water and mild soap.

Environite can also be cast into tiles for backsplashes or other decorative applications, and can be backlit for unique ambiance.

Color options are nearly limitless, Loomis said, but they’ve consulted with architects to create an original palate of 12 standard color patterns.

“Environite is designed to compete with Corian (a DuPont product) and natural stone in residential and commercial applications,” Loomis said, and it’s less expensive than imported non-recyclable tiles, concrete, stone, laminates or plastics.

Because it’s made from recyclable materials and removes the need for these products to be processed in a treatment facility, is recyclable itself, and is manufactured with minimal emissions, Environite has positive implications with the U.S. Green Building Council (USGBC) and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) rating system.

USGBC is a non-profit organization dedicated to sustainable building design and construction. Founded in 1993, the organization sets benchmarks for LEED ratings in the design and construction of commercial and residential buildings.

Loomis said Environite meets or exceeds the LEED requirements for recycled building products and is eligible for points under the rating system.

“We’ve shown the product to architects in town and in Seattle,” Loomis said, “and they’ve been very receptive.”

Ironically, he continued, though Environite is manufactured here in the Pacific Northwest, two firms in Canada initially snagged the idea and placed the first orders.

Loomis and Carpenter hope the product catches on in the Northwest, where it’s manufactured, and they would eventually like to build resources to produce it for the entire region.

On a smaller scale, Environite also has unique implications for wine or beer enthusiasts who want tiles or countertops crafted from their own empty bottles.

Loomis said it takes two to four wine bottles per square foot of surface area.

“If people want to save their empties and bring them to us, we’ll cast a countertop out of their own bottles,” he said.

For more information, visit www.environite.com or call 1-888-387-4876.

Staff Reporter Jeremiah O’Hagan: 629-8066 ext. 125 or ohagan@scnews.com.